Uttar Pradesh marketing calendar: festivals and seasons that move people
Spending and attention in Uttar Pradesh follow a yearly rhythm: the festive season from Navratri to Diwali and Chhath in October and November, the wedding seasons, rural income after the rabi harvest (March and April) and the kharif harvest (October and November), board results and admissions from April to July, and pilgrim seasons such as the Magh Mela in Prayagraj and Sawan. Book media and production a few weeks before each window.
Updated 7 October 2026. Written by the MM Advertising team, Lucknow.
Festival dates follow the Hindu and Islamic calendars and change every year, so check the year’s dates before you plan.
Month by month
- January. Makar Sankranti, celebrated as Khichdi in eastern Uttar Pradesh, with the Khichdi Mela at Gorakhpur. The Magh Mela in Prayagraj runs through January and February. Weddings resume after Makar Sankranti, when Kharmas ends. Winter fog affects highways, outdoor visibility and van schedules.
- February. Basant Panchami (late January or February) and weddings. Board examinations run through February and March.
- March. Holi. The financial year ends on 31 March, which brings year-end spending by government and companies. The rabi harvest begins. Chaitra Navratri and Ram Navami fall in March or April; Ram Navami draws large crowds in Ayodhya.
- April. Rural income after the wheat harvest. New budgets open with the financial year. UP Board results usually arrive in April.
- May. CBSE Class 12 results usually arrive in May, and admissions open. From 2026, CBSE Class 10 has two board exams: results of the first come in April, and an optional second exam is held in May. In the summer heat, plan outdoor activations for mornings and evenings.
- June. Counselling and admissions, and a summer wedding season. The monsoon usually reaches Uttar Pradesh in the second half of June.
- July. Monsoon rains, which last until the monsoon withdraws in early October. The month of Sawan brings the Kanwar Yatra, which changes traffic on highways in western Uttar Pradesh.
- August. Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day. Janmashtami falls in August or early September, with large crowds in Mathura and Vrindavan.
- September. Pitru Paksha falls in September or October; many families put off large purchases during it.
- October. Navratri, Dussehra and Ramlila, Karva Chauth, and, in many years, Dhanteras and Diwali. The kharif harvest brings rural income. This is the peak of the festive season.
- November. Diwali and Bhai Dooj in some years, Chhath in eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Dev Deepawali in Varanasi. Dev Uthani Ekadashi opens the winter wedding season.
- December. Weddings until Kharmas begins in mid-December, then Christmas and New Year in the cities and year-end sales. Fog returns.
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Muharram follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move about 11 days earlier each year.
Planning ahead
- Outdoor: good sites are booked before Navratri; plan a few weeks ahead.
- Newspapers: book front pages, special positions and supplements for festive dates early.
- Production: branding, standees and LED van content take time; finish them before the window opens.
- Activations: book teams and permissions early for peak weeks.
How we can help
MM Advertising plans campaigns around this calendar across Uttar Pradesh. See our services.
Questions
When is the best time to advertise in Uttar Pradesh?
The festive season from Navratri to Diwali and Chhath in October and November is the biggest window. Weddings, harvest income in March and April and in October and November, and the results and admissions season from April to July also matter, depending on what you sell.
When are board results announced in Uttar Pradesh?
UP Board results usually arrive in April. From 2026, results of the first CBSE Class 10 board exam also come in April, with an optional second exam in May, and CBSE Class 12 results usually arrive in May. Check each year’s announcements.
Why do sales slow down during Pitru Paksha?
Many families avoid large purchases during Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of remembering ancestors that falls in September or October, and buy after it ends, in Navratri.
Read next
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