The festival gets attention from all over and is a collection of competitions and races of all sorts. It brings forward Rajasthan’s oldest and the best cultural traditions and keeps them alive through it all. The juggler performances, folk music and folk dances make the festival vibrant and put up a great show. A cricket lover can get to try on a game with the locals. Being a spectator to a game of camel polo is a lifetime experience as well. It’s really something unusual and fun to witness in exuberance of cultural colors. Camels of course, being an integral part of Rajasthan’s culture, are also a major part of the festival. The camels are decorated and dressed in beautiful colors for the ‘Best Dressed’ competition. There’s a bunch of camel races & gymnastics wherein people performing stunts on the camels. But the one that catches everyone’s eyes and gets all and sundry excited the most, is to see the ‘Who has the biggest Moustache race’? Seeing bunch of men, with moustaches twirled and curled and dressed beautifully in gorgeous shades is really something one wouldn’t see elsewhere. Biscuit races, turban tying, longest beard competition, Mr. Arid contest, puppet shows, customary processions, camel mounted bands, society dances and snake charmers’ spectacle also take place during desert festival.
Through the day, explore the craftsmanship of men and women, creating beautiful pieces like hand woven shawls, carved out furniture or embroidered skirts. The cacophony of Rajasthani art, Rajasthani folk music and dance, are represented by able artists. By evening, the area is light up and folk music, dances and performances start and go on till the night. The fair has finger licking yum food stalls. Several small makeshift shops are also established for the three days festival to offer visitors opportunity to purchase any article to take back as a souvenir.
Aside from the competitions, just being here at Sam Sand Dunes, with the sun setting in the background, - this makes for one of the best views to see and be in the company of the people with open hearts. On the final night, the night of the full moon, live music performances take place under the starry sky. The soothing vibe in the festival, vibrancy all around and nature being at its best, the scene and ambience is definitely pleasing to the eyes, filling the heart. The Desert Festival in Jaisalmer, an annual cultural event, is something one shouldn’t miss for a thing! The Government of Rajasthan markets the vibrant festival to attract international tourists to visit us and dive into our culture too.
Dates, Venue & Attractions of Desert Festival in Jaisalmer
Year |
Dates |
Venue |
Attractions |
2019 |
February 17,18,19 |
Sam Sand Dunes |
Camel race, camel decoration, biscuit races, turban tying, longest beard & moustache competition, Mr. Arid contest,
puppet shows, customary processions, camel mounted bands, society dances and snake charmers’ spectacle,
folk music, folk dances, crafts shops, food stalls etc. |
2020 |
February 07,08,09 |