Pushkar Fair to offer foreign tourists traditional rural games
International visitors can participate in sports like Gilli-Danda and Langdi Tang during the annual fair scheduled from November 17 to 24.
The upcoming Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan will allow international visitors to participate in traditional rural games alongside locals, according to reports by Rediff, Hindustan Times, and The Tribune on Sunday.
Tourism Department Joint Director Ajay Sharma said foreign tourists would take part in games such as Langdi Tang, Sitoliya, and Gilli-Danda. A proposed football match between local participants and foreign tourists is also planned, alongside kabaddi, volleyball, tug-of-war, and inter-panchayat samiti rural sports competitions.
Other activities include camel races, camel and horse dances, turban-tying, moustache competitions, musical chairs, and women's pot races. Pushkar Fair nodal officer and Tourism Department Joint Director Dalip Singh Rathore said the Food and Handicrafts Festival will run from November 20 to November 23 at Shilpgram to showcase local cuisine and crafts.
The fair, scheduled from November 17 to 24, will also feature religious events like Maha Aarti and Deepdaan at the Pushkar lake ghats, as well as music and dance performances. Cultural programmes will begin on November 17, with a closing ceremony and prize distribution on November 24.
Tourism department data shows Pushkar attracted 76.42 lakh domestic and 59,951 foreign tourists in 2023, increasing to 1.24 crore domestic and 74,726 foreign visitors in 2024. In 2025, the town saw more than 1.32 crore domestic tourists and 68,327 foreign visitors.
By August 2026, more than 70.88 lakh domestic tourists and 31,459 foreign visitors had arrived in Pushkar, the department stated. Sharma added that introducing new tourism experiences alongside traditional events would expand the fair's international appeal.