Dehradun: Uttarakhand is preparing to move beyond its traditional tourism circuits of Char Dham and popular hill stations with a revised tourism calendar designed to promote destinations across the state throughout the year.
The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board has released its revised event calendar for financial year 2026-27, bringing together adventure, trekking, winter tourism, rural tourism, wildlife and other activities. The calendar lists 20 events with a total board-approved budget of ₹21.35 crore, while three newly added events will receive separate funding.
The initiative is aimed at helping tourists plan trips according to seasons while also creating opportunities for lesser-known destinations to attract visitors during the off-season.
Tourism Calendar Connects Different Parts of Uttarakhand
The revised calendar covers destinations ranging from the Kumaon region to Garhwal and from the plains to high-altitude areas.
Instead of concentrating tourism activity around a few well-known destinations, the schedule identifies different locations for different seasons and tourism experiences. These include bugyals, lakes, wildlife areas, trekking routes, adventure destinations, religious sites and rural tourism locations.
The department plans to add more destinations to the calendar in the future. This could give tourists more options while helping local tourism businesses benefit from visitor activity beyond the peak travel months.
Read Also: Uttarakhand Unveils STI Policy 2026, Releases GEP Reports for Environment-Based Planning
Three New Events Added to the Calendar
Three major events have been added to the revised calendar.
The Himalayan Car Rally 2026 is proposed from November 19 to 21 and will pass through Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri Garhwal, Almora and Nainital. The event is expected to attract national-level participation and is being considered as a precursor to the proposed Ultimate Himalayan Car Rally. Its budget will be approved separately.
The ATOAI Annual Convention is proposed in Kausani, Bageshwar, from December 13 to 16. Organised with the participation of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India, the convention is intended to bring adventure tourism operators and other stakeholders together in Uttarakhand.
Another new event, the Weddings in Uttarakhand Conclave, is proposed in the Ramnagar area of Nainital district from December 15 to 20. It will focus on wedding planners and tourism stakeholders and aims to promote wedding tourism as a distinct tourism offering in the state.
The budgets for all three new events are not included in the existing ₹21.35-crore board-approved allocation.
Dates Revised for Several Major Tourism Events
The revised calendar has also changed the dates of several previously approved events.
The High Altitude Marathon and Adi Kailash Parikrama 2.0 in Pithoragarh is now proposed for October 24 to 26, 2026, instead of October 15 to 20. It carries an estimated budget of ₹3 crore.
The Ultimate Uttarakhand MTB Challenge, 5th Edition, has also been rescheduled to November 20-26. The approximately 700-km route is proposed to run from Mukteshwar to Mussoorie through areas including Bageshwar, Karnaprayag and Guptkashi. The estimated budget is ₹2.50 crore.
The Tehri Aero Festival, earlier proposed for November 16-20, 2026, has now been shifted to January 2027, although its exact dates are yet to be announced. The event has an estimated budget of ₹2 crore.
Similarly, the Nayar Valley Festival in Pauri has been moved to February 2027 from its earlier November schedule. Its final dates are yet to be announced.
Adventure Tourism Gets Major Push
Adventure tourism forms a significant part of the revised Uttarakhand tourism calendar.
The schedule includes the Niti Extreme Ultra Marathon in Chamoli, the Trek of the Year programme from September to March, the National Kayaking and Canoeing Championship in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar, and the River Rafting Festival at Tanakpur in Champawat.
Mountaineering expeditions are also planned across Kumaon and Garhwal, while Chamoli will host a proposed Paragliding Cross-Country Competition.
Other events include the Kotabagh Paragliding Accuracy Competition in Nainital, the Corbett Paragliding Festival in Champawat and a Paragliding Accuracy Competition proposed in Bageshwar in January 2027.
Together, these activities are intended to strengthen Uttarakhand’s identity as a destination for outdoor and adventure tourism rather than limiting its appeal to pilgrimage and conventional hill tourism.
Winter Tourism to Get More Attention
The revised calendar also places greater emphasis on winter tourism.
The Munsiyari Winter Carnival in Pithoragarh, Auli Winter Carnival and Winter Games in Chamoli, and Dayara Winter Carnival in Uttarkashi are proposed for February 2027.
The estimated budget for the Auli event is ₹2 crore, while Munsiyari and Dayara have an estimated allocation of ₹60 lakh each.
By scheduling events during the winter months, the tourism department is looking to create more reasons for visitors to travel during a season that traditionally sees lower tourist activity in several parts of the state.
Districts to Get a Bigger Role in Tourism Activities
The revised calendar also provides for tourism events to be organised through District Tourism Development Committees.
A board-approved allocation of ₹3 crore has been earmarked for this purpose. District-level proposals can therefore be used to organise tourism activities throughout the year, allowing local authorities to respond to the tourism potential of their respective areas.
This approach could also provide smaller destinations with an opportunity to develop events based on local landscapes, culture and tourism resources.
Tourism Department Focuses on Year-Round Travel
Tourism Secretary Dhiraj Garbyal said the revised calendar would allow visitors to explore different parts of Uttarakhand at different times of the year.
The focus is not only on increasing tourist numbers but also on giving visitors more choices in terms of destination, season and type of tourism experience.
For tourists, a structured annual calendar can make trip planning easier. For local communities and tourism businesses, regular events can create opportunities beyond the traditional peak seasons.
The revised Uttarakhand tourism calendar therefore represents an attempt to spread tourism activity geographically and seasonally. By combining adventure, winter, rural, wedding and other forms of tourism with established destinations, the state is looking to create a more diversified tourism ecosystem and bring more of its lesser-known places into the travel map.
Read Also: 98 Cities, New Growth Centres: Uttarakhand Plans Urban Expansion Till 2045
