Bikaner Camel festival

All the very latest in camel fashion…

No match in the town by yaver999, on Flickr

When: January 18th & 19th.
Where: Bikaner, Rajasthan.

This festival in the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan sees the ships of the desert at their very best. A spectacle of camel races, camel dances, camel parades, and of course bone-shaking camel rides!

The festival starts with a procession of elaborately decorated camels heading out towards the open desert of Bikaneer where the main action takes place. There is a camel beauty contest on the first day where every camel shows off their fabulous decorations and jewellery. There are Camel dance performances where the camels show off their fancy footwork, and a competition for the best fur cutting design and camel hair cut!

On the second day, the fastest camels of the region are cheered on by excited spectators as they vie against eachother in the camel races.

Both days end with dizzy skirt swirling dances, awe inspiring fire dances and many other equally entertaining folk performances. The grand finale is a magnificent display of fireworks lighting up the the desert sky around Bikaner.

Food & Drink

Tea and sweets made from camel’s milk are sold widely during the festival.

Travel to Rasjasthan

Bikaner is in the northern part of Rajasthan and lies 316 kms from Jaipur and 240 km from Jodhpur. Jodhpur Airport is the nearest airport.