Pushkar Fair: The Mother of All Desert Celebrations

Reid Coen | Imprint Tours

Performance troupe in elaborate costumes, awaiting the parade
Image | Reid Coen

The Pushkar Mela, or Camel Fair, is an annual gathering of camel merchants that has evolved into an excuse for the mother of all desert celebrations.  Today the Mela is as much a tourist attraction as traditional nomadic gathering, with equal parts western carnival midway and desert culture pageantry. Located on the edges of the Thar desert in colorful Rajasthan, India, Pushkar explodes in a frenzy of color, sights, and sounds during this November fortnight.

Pushkar attracts Rajasthanis from far and wide, all of them wearing their best, brightest saris, turbans, and traditional costumes, creating a festive energy and a surging sea of visual splendor. There are carnival rides, food booths, and plenty of entertainment. It’s a busker’s paradise. On my first Mela visit, I enjoyed a man with performing monkeys doing a comedy routine, child acrobats doing all sorts of stunts with bored looks on their faces, and someone doing magic. This part of the fair felt like being in a Salman Rushdie novel or an American 19th-century frontier carnival.

Busker acrobats at the Puskar Mela
Images | Reid Coen

On Imprint Tours’ inaugural India tour, we arrived in Pushkar for the closing ceremonies. What a highlight! We learned that special areas with tables, chairs, and shade were reserved for any western visitors, so we had comfortable, front-row seats. Before us was a row of 12-15 camels decked out in their parade finery and a festively adorned camel cart.

Camels in their garlands and finery
Image | Reid Coen

Eventually, various cultural troops began to arrive and assemble, right in front of us. There was a group of children dressed as animals; a group of men in bright red costumes that reminded me of the witch’s castle guards in the Wizard of Oz; a mixed-gender group in traditional costumes—some of whom carried mythical effigy figures; and a group of white-clad men with red turbans, magnificent facial hair, and flashing sabres (we learned later they were the winners of the mustache contest). There were many other groups, each more colorful, creative, and animated than the other.

Festival performers
Images | Reid Coen

While we were waiting for the official closing parade to begin, we were entertained with various events. There were tug-of-war contests, camel races, contest winners, and presentations of the winners of various livestock competitions—a reminder of the origins of the fair. Eventually, the groups assembled and started a procession, marching around the entire stadium for all to see and enjoy. The culminating event was a synchronized dance of 300 Rajasthani women, all in red saris. It was a visually spectacular celebration and the kind of cultural pageantry that motivates me to travel and share the experience with my tour members.

The grand finale of the festivities: a dance performed by 300 Rjasthani women.
Image | Reid Coen

I’ve been traveling internationally for more than years and have visited six continents. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience many festivals and celebrations, among them Fasching in the Black Forest, Oktoberfest in Munich, Sienna’s Palio, Venice’s Regata Storica, and Corpus Christi Day in Orvieto. All of them are fabulous. But for pure pomp, ceremony, and spectacle the Pushkar Mela is the Queen of Celebrations.

Mustache and Beard Contest finalist
Image | Reid Coen