Navratri in Gujarat 2025: Issue 77 Guide

Welcome to Issue 77 of Travel Viewpoint, our September 2025 issue: Navratri and Garba in Gujarat. This page is your guide to everything inside. Navratri in 2025 is expected to begin on Monday, 22 September and run through the nine nights to around Wednesday, 1 October, with Dussehra (Vijayadashami) following on Thursday, 2 October. Exact dates can shift by a day depending on the regional calendar you follow, so please confirm with a local panchang or your hosts before you book anything.

For those nine nights, Gujarat dances. In cities, towns and villages, people gather in circles around a lamp or an image of the goddess and move together to garba and dandiya raas until late into the night. In December 2023, UNESCO inscribed the Garba of Gujarat on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising what Gujaratis already knew: this is a living tradition that belongs to the community, not a show staged for visitors.

Why this issue

Every year more travellers ask us how to experience Navratri in Gujarat. Most have seen the photographs: swirling chaniya cholis, mirror-work, thousands of people moving in perfect rings. Fewer know how to take part without treating the festival as a backdrop. This issue is about that. It is about choosing where to go, how to dress, what to eat, when to rest, and how to be a good guest in a festival that is, first of all, a form of devotion.

We have deliberately kept business names, ticket prices and event timings out of these pages. They change every year, sometimes every week, and we would rather you check them fresh than rely on numbers that may be out of date by the time you read this.

Inside this issue

1. Editor’s letter: Navratri and Garba

Our editor introduces the issue and explains why the best way to see garba is to step into the circle, slowly, respectfully and with a little practice.

2. Garba without treating the city as a backdrop

A guide to the etiquette of the circle: why garba is worship before it is a party, how to join without disrupting, and how to give back to the neighbourhoods that host you.

3. Ahmedabad nights and a quiet morning after

How to pace yourself in Gujarat’s largest city during the festival, from late-night circles to slow mornings in the old city’s pols.

4. Vadodara if Ahmedabad is full

Vadodara has its own deep garba culture. We explain why it can be a rewarding alternative, and how to plan a stay there.

5. What to wear, and what not to film

Clothing that is comfortable, respectful and practical for dancing for hours, and a frank look at when the camera should stay in your bag.

6. A first-timer’s nine nights, not all nine

You do not need to attend every night. We suggest a sensible plan for a first visit, with rest days built in.

7. Food between the circles

Fasting foods, late-night snacks and the quieter meals of the morning after, with advice on eating well and safely.

8. A family courtyard, not only the ticketed ground

The large ticketed grounds are spectacular, but the heart of Navratri often lies in housing-society courtyards and neighbourhood squares.

9. Dates, tickets and temple timings

Our news page: the 2025 dates, how tickets and passes usually work, and what to know about temple visits and crowds during the nine nights.

10. One village garba

Our less-travelled story: what a village celebration can feel like, and how to visit one without intruding.

11. The photograph of the circle, not the selfie

How to photograph garba well and respectfully, with consent, and why the best pictures are rarely of yourself.

How to use this issue

If you are planning a trip, start with the news page for dates and the first-timer’s guide for a realistic plan. If you are already in Gujarat, read the etiquette and clothing pieces first. If you are simply curious, the editor’s letter and the village story will give you a feel for what the festival means.

Wherever you start, we hope you will keep one idea in mind: Navratri is not an event that happens to be in Gujarat. It is Gujarat, for nine nights, expressing its faith, its music and its sense of community. Visitors are usually welcome. Visitors who arrive humbly, learn a few steps and follow the lead of their hosts are welcomed most warmly of all.

A note on planning

Navratri is one of the busiest times of year in Gujarat. Trains and flights into Ahmedabad and Vadodara often fill early, hotel rates can rise noticeably, and roads near popular venues may be congested late at night. Book transport and accommodation as early as you reasonably can, keep some flexibility in your plans, and check local advisories closer to the date. If you are travelling with children or older family members, plan earlier evenings and shorter outings.

The monsoon is usually retreating by late September, but rain is still possible, and some outdoor events have historically been affected by late showers. Carry a light rain layer and be ready for a change of plan.

A note on respect

Garba circles are often formed around a garbo, an earthen pot with a lamp inside, or an image of the goddess Amba. Many participants fast during the day, and many begin with an aarti. Before you join, watch. Follow what others do with footwear, food and phones. If you are unsure, ask someone nearby. In our experience, people are generous with their time when a visitor shows genuine interest.

Photographs for this issue

Our photographers will be looking for images that show the circle rather than individual dancers posed for the camera, the lamp at the centre, the work of the musicians, and the quiet mornings after. As always, we will only publish photographs of identifiable people with their consent.

Thank you

Thank you for reading Travel Viewpoint. Navratri is a festival of devotion, endurance and joy. We hope this issue helps you find all three, and that you come home with tired feet, a few new steps and a deeper understanding of why Gujarat dances.

Shubh Navratri from all of us.