Skip to content

Official Updates

Magh Mela 2027 or Haridwar Kumbh 2027: which should you choose?

KumbhMela.info Editorial Team 4 min readUpdated Fri 16 Oct 2026

Both fall in early 2027 and share four bathing dates. How the yearly Magh Mela at Prayagraj differs from the Haridwar Kumbh, where each stands officially, and how to choose.

ProvisionalChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

Choose Haridwar Kumbh 2027 if you want a Kumbh, with the akharas’ Amrit Snans on the Ganga, and choose the Magh Mela 2027 at the Sangam in Prayagraj if you want the yearly winter mela and its month of kalpvas. Both run in early 2027 and share four bathing dates, so on those days you can only be at one of them.

The two melas side by side

WhatHaridwar Kumbh 2027Magh Mela 2027, Prayagraj
What it isA Kumbh at Haridwar. PTI calls it an Ardh Kumbh; the state calls it Haridwar Kumbh 2027.The yearly mela at the Sangam in the month of Magh. Not a Kumbh.
RiverGanga, at Har Ki Pauri and the Haridwar ghatsThe Sangam of the Ganga and Yamuna and, in tradition, the Saraswati
WindowThu 14 January to Tue 20 April 2027Fri 15 January to Sat 6 March 2027
Bathing daysEleven, four of them Amrit SnansSix main bathing days
StatusProvisional. Listed on the official Haridwar Kumbh website; no dated notice yet.Expected. From the Hindu calendar; no list from the mela authority yet. A Government of India tourism listing gives the same window.

The dates that overlap

Four dates are bathing days at both melas, by the Haridwar list and the calendar for Prayagraj:

  • Saturday 6 February 2027, Mauni Amavasya (Magha Amavasya)
  • Thursday 11 February 2027, Basant Panchami (Magha Shukla Panchami)
  • Saturday 20 February 2027, Magh Purnima (Magha Shukla Chaturdashi at sunrise)
  • Saturday 6 March 2027, Mahashivratri. At Haridwar this is the first Amrit Snan; at Prayagraj it is the last day of the Magh Mela.

Makar Sankranti is a day apart. The Haridwar administration lists Thursday 14 January, while by the calendar Prayagraj keeps it on Friday 15 January, because the Sun enters Makara on the night of 14 January. Check the Prayagraj list when it is published.

What each mela offers

Haridwar has the Amrit Snans, the days the akharas go to the ghats in procession for the ceremonial bath, as the official website describes. In 2027 they are listed for 6 March, 8 March, 15 March and 14 April, with 14 April the main Amrit Snan. The season also runs into March and April, after the coldest weeks.

The Magh Mela is held every year in Magh, roughly mid-January to mid-February, according to the Prayagraj district. The Uttar Pradesh government sets up a tent township each year, and many pilgrims stay at the Sangam for the whole month. According to tradition, kalpvas runs from Paush Purnima to Magh Purnima; by the calendar that is Friday 22 January to Saturday 20 February 2027. Camp arrangements for 2027 are not announced.

Pilgrims on the ghats at Har Ki Pauri, HaridwarPhoto: Tirth
Pilgrims taking a dip at the Sangam, PrayagrajPhoto: Ninara, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A bathing day at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar, and pilgrims taking a dip at the Sangam, Prayagraj

How to choose

  • You want to see an Amrit Snan. Go to Haridwar on one of the four Amrit Snan days.
  • You want a longer stay by the river. The Magh Mela, with its month of kalpvas, is built around that.
  • You are travelling with older people. Both melas are cold in January and February; NCDC puts the cold wave season from November to March. Haridwar’s March and April days are warmer.
  • You want both. The Magh Mela window ends on 6 March, and Haridwar continues to 20 April, so one trip to each on different dates is possible. Do not plan both for the same bathing day.
  • You are about to book. Haridwar’s days are provisional and the Magh Mela’s are expected. Book stays and travel you can change.

For Prayagraj, see Magh Mela 2027 dates and bathing days. For Haridwar, see the Haridwar Kumbh 2027 dates, what is confirmed and what is not and whether Haridwar 2027 is an Ardh Kumbh or a Kumbh. If a seller offers a “Prayagraj Kumbh 2027”, read is this Kumbh booking real? first.

Plan your trip

How to reachTrains, buses, roads and the last stretch
Where to stayAreas, camps and what to check
First visitA simple order for getting ready
Ghats and placesWhere the bathing happens

Sources

10 sources · checked 16 Oct 2026
  1. Snan and Events: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  2. Snan and Events: 'Three Ways to Experience the Snan' (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  3. Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
  4. Culture & Heritage: Prayagraj (Annual Magh Mela) · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  5. Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·
  6. The Beginning of Maha Kumbh 2025: A Grand Spiritual Spectacle · Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Culture, Government of India ·
  7. 43-day-long Magh Mela begins in Prayagraj, over 21 lakh devotees take holy dip at Sangam on the first day · News On AIR (All India Radio News, Prasar Bharati) ·
  8. Panchang: tithi, sunrise and lunar month · TravNext Tech Private Limited (Tirth.com) ·
  9. Public Health Advisory: Cold Wave/Frost · National Centre for Disease Control (NPCCHH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India ·
  10. Chief Minister discusses Haridwar Kumbh 2027 and Ganga projects with Union Jal Shakti Minister · Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Uttarakhand ·