The Kumaon Fest, Naurt Utsav 2026, was held over three days, Saturday 17 to Monday 19 October 2026, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn on Nainital Road, Haldwani. The programme was a morning run and the opening on Saturday 17 October, the Garba and Dandiya night with food and exhibition stalls from 5 pm to 10 pm on Sunday 18 October, and the band Pandavaas with guest artists from 5 pm to 10 pm on Monday 19 October. The organiser, Taameer Artivists Foundation, and its event partner PAL College of Technology & Management posted from both evening programmes afterwards. Passes were sold under Phase II prices by 14 October: Rs 399 to Rs 649 for 18 October, Rs 599 to Rs 1,099 for 19 October and Rs 999 to Rs 1,699 for both nights.
How the festival went
Both evening programmes went ahead at Vatika Banquet on the dates the organiser had announced. By 22 October we had found no newspaper report of it, so this record rests on what the organiser and its event partner posted afterwards, and on the festival page as it stood once the festival was over.
On Monday 19 October The Kumaon Fest's Instagram account posted a clip of Pandavaas at their sound check at the venue, and then of the band on stage. On 20 October it posted more of the band's set and a performance of Hill Jatra, the masked folk theatre of the Pithoragarh side of Kumaon, which had not been named on the published line-up. The same day the event partner, PAL College of Technology & Management, posted that it had celebrated the festival's success, naming the Garba night and the live set by Pandavaas. Reels posted by people in the audience on 20 and 21 October are of the Pandavaas set and of the dancing.
After the festival the organiser's page described the Saturday morning event as a Run for Awareness of Women Safety and Environment, held from 6:00 to 9:00 am, where it had earlier been billed as a Run for Environment for animal welfare. It described the Sunday as a musical evening with the Garba and Dandiya night and food and exhibition stalls, and said online booking closed at 6 pm on 19 October. No change of venue, date or timing was announced at any point.
Some things we could not confirm. We found nothing on the Saturday run itself, so we cannot say how many ran or who finished first. The organiser has published no attendance figure; before the festival its page said more than 5,000 visitors were expected. It never said which night Vaishali and Vishal, DJ Amaayra and Taameer Collective played. If you were there and can fill any of this in, write to hih.editorial@gmail.com. The closing night has its own record: Pandavaas Live in Haldwani.
What the Naurt Utsav is
The Kumaon Fest bills itself as the biggest celebration of art, culture, literature, music and the spirit of Kumaon, and says it is coming back for 2026. This edition carries the name Naurt Utsav and runs for three days, pitched by the organiser as a festival where culture meets music, art, food and people from across the states.
The dates are not an accident. Sharad Navratri runs from 11 to 19 October this year, so the festival sits on its last three days, with Dussehra the day after on Tuesday 20 October. That is the festive season the organiser means, and it is why a Garba night is on a Kumaoni festival's programme at all.
The three days
- Saturday 17 October, 6:00 to 9:00 am. A Run for Environment over 3 km and 5 km, run for animal welfare, followed by the opening ceremony. The organiser has not published a separate start point, so ask when you book.
- Sunday 18 October, 5:00 to 10:00 pm. A literature session, folk performances, a food carnival and the Garba and Dandiya night, billed as Garba meets Jhoda.
- Monday 19 October, 5:00 to 10:00 pm. The closing night, a music evening with the Uttarakhand folk band Pandavaas and guest artists. Our Pandavaas Live guide has the band, the passes for the night and getting back at 10 pm.
The organiser behind the festival is the Taameer Artivists Foundation, and its festival page names Vatika Banquet on Nainital Road as the venue for all three days. Dhol Damau and Chholiya dance are listed among the Kumaoni performances, without named troupes. The festival page's line-up also names Vaishali and Vishal (billed as Zee TV fame), DJ Amaayra and the Himalayan band Taameer Collective, without saying which night each plays. The event partner is PAL College of Technology & Management and the media partner The Times of India.
Garba meets Jhoda, Sunday 18 October
The headline night is Sunday 18 October, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn. The idea is two circle dances from two ends of the country on one floor: Garba, the dance Gujarat keeps for Navratri, and Jhoda, the Kumaoni group dance that is danced in a linked ring at melas and festivals across these hills. The organiser's own line for it is "Same dhol, different pahad."
The organiser has not named the Garba or Jhoda troupes. Arrive near 5 pm if you want the literature and folk part of the evening before the dancing starts.
Where Vatika Banquet & Lawn is
Vatika is on Nainital Road at Tedhi Pulia, opposite the LIC building: by Google Maps 2.7 km (about 7 minutes) from Kathgodam railway station and 5.2 km (about 14 minutes) from the Haldwani Roadways bus stand. It is a hall-plus-lawn venue with parking on site, which suits a dance night that will spill between the two. Our Vatika Banquet guide has the layout and the approach.
Passes, and what the organiser published when
Entry is by pass. Book on the festival's tickets page, through the link in the bio of @thekumaonfest on Instagram, or by phone to Sourav on +91 98374 76299, with 99277 77732 on WhatsApp. The email is thekumaonfest@gmail.com.
Update, 3 October 2026: the organiser has now published the programme and times for all three days, and named Vatika Banquet as the venue. Two things are still open: the pass price, which the tickets page did not display when we checked, and the start point and route of the Saturday run. We will add them when the organiser publishes them.
Update, 14 October 2026: pass prices are now on the tickets page, under Phase II pricing (the early bird passes sold out, and Phase 1 ran until 12 October). Sunday 18 October: Rs 499 Regular, Rs 649 Premium, or Rs 399 Student with a school or college ID checked at the gate. Monday 19 October: Rs 599 Regular, Rs 799 Premium, Rs 1,099 Sitting (reserved seat). Both nights: Rs 999, Rs 1,499 or Rs 1,699. Premium adds lounge space, a free Dandiya pair and dedicated parking. Physical passes are sold at Vatika Banquet from 10 October and at Universal Mobile Planet, opposite MB School next to the MB ground, Durga City Center; the booking helpline is +91 92595 98769. The tickets page gives the Saturday run as 6:30 am, against 6:00 to 9:00 am on the festival page, so check the start time when you book. The closing night has its own page: Pandavaas Live in Haldwani.
We list this event editorially. We do not sell passes, take bookings or earn anything from the organiser's links. Confirm prices and terms with the organiser before you pay.
Getting there and where to stay
This is a Navratri weekend with Dussehra on the Tuesday after, so Haldwani will be busier than a normal Sunday and rooms on the Kathgodam side go early. Vatika sits on the road up to the hills, which makes the Kathgodam and Nainital Road end of the city the closest place to sleep.
- Hotels near Kathgodam railway station: about 2.7 km up Nainital Road from the venue, and the easy pick if you are arriving by train.
- Hotel Maplewood Premier: a premium stay on the same Nainital Road.
- Hotels near the bus stand: about 5 km from Vatika, for anyone coming in by Roadways bus.
- Budget stays under Rs 1,500: if you are here for all three days.
Or go straight to our Haldwani hotel search and filter by area and price.
Good to know
- The Saturday run starts at 6 am, so a Friday night in Haldwani makes sense if you are entering it.
- The Sunday and Monday programmes run 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
- Entry is by pass, so reserve before you travel rather than counting on the gate.
- It is Navratri week and Dussehra falls on Tuesday 20 October, so expect heavier traffic and fuller hotels than a normal weekend.
- For passes and questions, the organiser's numbers are +91 98374 76299 (Sourav, call or WhatsApp) and 99277 77732.
Common questions
When was The Kumaon Fest 2026?
Over three days, Saturday 17 to Monday 19 October 2026, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn in Haldwani. The organiser billed it as three days of Kumaoni art, culture, literature, music and food. The dates fell on the last three days of Sharad Navratri, which ran 11 to 19 October in 2026, with Dussehra the day after on Tuesday 20 October.
Did the festival go ahead as planned?
Yes, as far as we can tell. No change of venue, date or timing was announced, and the organiser and its event partner, PAL College of Technology & Management, posted from the Garba night and the Pandavaas closing night on 19 and 20 October 2026. We found no newspaper report, no attendance figure and nothing on the Saturday morning run.
When and where is the Garba meets Jhoda night?
Sunday 18 October 2026, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn on Nainital Road, Haldwani. The same evening carries literature sessions, folk performances and a food carnival.
How were passes sold and what did they cost?
Entry was by pass, booked on the festival's tickets page at taameerartivists.org, through the link in the bio of @thekumaonfest on Instagram, or by phone to Sourav on +91 98374 76299 (WhatsApp +91 99277 77732). On 14 October 2026 the tickets page showed Phase II prices: Rs 399 to Rs 649 for 18 October, Rs 599 to Rs 1,099 for 19 October and Rs 999 to Rs 1,699 for both nights. Online booking closed at 6 pm on 19 October.
What is on 17 and 19 October?
Saturday 17 October opens early: a Run for Environment over 3 km and 5 km, for animal welfare, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am, followed by the opening ceremony. Monday 19 October is the closing night, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, with the band Pandavaas and guest artists. The organiser names Vatika Banquet on Nainital Road as the festival venue.
Where is Vatika Banquet & Lawn?
On Nainital Road in Haldwani, about 2.7 km from Kathgodam railway station and 5.2 km from the Haldwani Roadways bus stand by Google Maps. It is a hall-plus-lawn venue with on-site parking. Ask a cab for Vatika Banquet on Nainital Road.
Do I need to stay overnight in Haldwani?
If you are coming from outside the city, probably. The Sunday and Monday nights run to 10 pm, it is Navratri week and Dussehra follows on the Tuesday, so the roads up to Nainital and Bhimtal will be busy late. Kathgodam and the Nainital Road side of Haldwani are the closest places to sleep.
How we listed this
We list local events editorially and are not the organiser. The dates, the Sunday 18 October time and venue, the pass arrangement and the contact numbers were first taken from The Kumaon Fest's Instagram announcements on 24 September 2026. The three-day programme, the times, the venue for all three days and the organiser's name were added on 3 October 2026 from the festival page published by the Taameer Artivists Foundation. The Navratri and Dussehra dates, the venue distances and the stay advice are ours. Pass prices, the offline counter, the booking helpline and the partners were added on 14 October 2026 from the tickets page and the organiser's posters, and the venue distances were rechecked on Google Maps the same day. How the festival went was added on 22 October 2026 from the Instagram posts of The Kumaon Fest (19 and 20 October) and PAL College of Technology & Management (20 October), and from the festival page as it stood that day; we found no newspaper report to check them against. If anything changes, the organiser announces it, not us. Tell us at hih.editorial@gmail.com if anything here has gone out of date.