About The Event
Once a year during winters, the sands around Jaisalmer come alive with the brilliant colors, music and laughter of the Desert Festival. Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. The fair has snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play a stellar role in this festival, where the rich and colorful folk culture of Rajasthan is on show.
The Jaisalmer fort provides an ethereal backdrop to the annual desert festival. it is a joyful celebration of the traditional performing arts and creative crafts of Rajasthan.
Jaisalmer Desert Festival is all about fun and excitement. One can enjoy vibrant puppet shows, folk music and dance, camel races, camel polo matches, tug of war, juggling events, turban tying and longest mustache competition. Participants wear colorful traditional attires and display the best of Rajasthani folk culture and traditions. Presentation of Gair dance forms and folk fire dances are an added attraction of Jaisalmer Desert festival. There is a unique competition for men by the name Maru Sri or Mr. Desert Pageant, which attracts locals as well as international travelers. There are plenty of stalls selling handicrafts and local knick-knacks and many food stalls serving the best of authentic local food.
It has, on display, some of the most fondly preserved components of Rajasthan’s rich culture. Add to this the warmth and cheerfulness of the people of Rajasthan who welcomes the tourists from the depths of their hearts. Capture on film the site of a turbaned, handsome man with long moustaches and the flowing beard set in the backdrop of the romantic golden sands. Watch spirited villagers participating in the festival, attired in their colorful best, astride their gaily caparisoned camels.Swing to the high pitched musical instruments which echo in the vast expanse of the tranquil desert. Tap your feet to peppy folk music.
The spectacular gair dancers of barmer and the fire dancers are great crowd puller too.The excitement heightens as the Maru-Shri(Mr. Desert) competition and the turban-tying contest get underway.In the tug of war, Indian competes with Foreigners which adds to the fun of the festival.An interesting event of the festival is the moustache competition. In this competition the prize is given to the man with the longest moustache. An interesting point to keep in mind is that in Rajasthan turning moustaches upwards signifies honor while dropping moustaches indicate surrender. There are also Camel Races camel polo to add the fun..
The grand finale is a trip to the Sam sand dunes on the moonlight night, where one can also experience the pleasure of a camel ride. The folk artistes performing on the sand dunes take the enhancement to its crescendo.
Leaving Jaisalmer without any shopping is a sin. Pick the best of local handicrafts, dresses, knick-knacks, room décor, locally made leather stuff, bags, footwear, puppets, pieces of jewelry made of precious and semi-precious stones and most importantly souvenirs made from yellow sandstone. Popular markets to explore for a hearty retail therapy are Bhatia Bazaar, Pansari Bazaar, Manak Chowk and Sadar Bazaar.
Places to visit
Aarti
Shri Laxminathji Temple, Fort
Shobha Yatra (Ceremonial Procession)
Fort to Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium
Inauguration of Design Festival & Golden Skies (releasing golden balloons)
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium
Performance by Folk artists, Turban Tying competition for Indians and Foreigners, Moomal Mahendra Competition, Moustache Competition, Miss Moomal Competition, Mr Desert Competition, Mrs Jaisalmer Competition, Live Painting Art Camp & Live Clay Portrait Show
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium.
Dine with Jaisalmer
Entire City
Photography Exhibition
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium.
Rajasthani Cultural Programme by Tagaram Bheel, Celebrity Night with Salim Sulaiman Merchant
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium.
Fireworks Display
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium.
Instrumental Music and Yoga
Gadsisar Lake
Camel Decoration Competition, Shan-E-Marudhara Competition, Air Warrior Drill Show by I.A.F, Tug of War Competition for Men & Women (Indians & Foreigners), Camel Polo Match, Panihari Matka Race Competition for Women, Camel Tattoo Show (Acrobatics) by B.S.F, Kabaddi Match
Dedansar Stadium
Camel Safari and Camel Activities
Khuri Sand Dunes
Astronomy Workshop, Sky Gazing and Deep Sky Photography
Khuri Sand Dunes
Desert Symphony by Gaji Khan Barna, Celebrity Musical Night with Atrangi Project followed by Raghu Dixit Project
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium
Fireworks Display
Shaheed Poonam Singh Stadium
Peacock Sighting and Live Instrumental Music Performances
Khabha Fort
Rangoli, Mandana and Wall Painting
Kuldhara Deserted Village
Horse Race Show
Rann of Lanela
Camel Race, Camel Dance and Horse Dance
Sam Sand Dunes
Astronomy Workshop, Sky Gazing and Deep Sky Photography
Sam Sand Dunes
Desert Symphony by Bhutte Khan Nimbla & Group, Celebrity Musical Night with Salman Ali & Shanmukha Priya and Ankit Tiwari
Sam Sand Dunes
Gallery
Check our gallery from the recent events