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Kumbh Mela by year · 2026

Kumbh Mela 2026: What Happens This Year

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Sun 18 Oct 2026

There is no Kumbh bathing season in 2026: the year's one Kumbh event is the flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026 that opens the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, whose Amrit Snans fall in August and September 2027.

ProvisionalChecked on Sun 18 Oct 2026

The flag hoisting date is in the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority's plan of 15 June 2026; the 12:02 PM time comes from news reports of the authority's plans. Each row below carries its own status.

Prayagraj held its yearly Magh Mela earlier in 2026. The next Kumbh bathing days begin at Haridwar on Thursday 14 January 2027.

Kumbh events in 2026

EventPlaceDateStatusGuide and dates
Magh Mela 2026 (the yearly mela, not a Kumbh)Sangam, PrayagrajEnded in February 2026 with the Mahashivratri bathHeldPrayagraj guide
Flag hoisting (dhwajarohan) that opens the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar SimhasthaRamkund, Nashik and Kushavarta, Trimbakeshwar, at the same timeSaturday 31 October 2026, 12:02 PM (time reported)OfficialNashik Kumbh guide · Nashik dates

Official means the date is in the authority’s own plan. Held means the event has taken place. The flag hoisting is an opening ceremony, not a bathing day.

2026 mix-ups

Myth or fact?

There is a Kumbh Mela in 2026Tap to check
Partly There is no Kumbh bathing season in 2026. The Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha opens with its flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026, and its Amrit Snans are on 2 August, 31 August and 11 and 12 September 2027.
Haridwar has a Kumbh in 2026Tap to check
Myth Haridwar’s Kumbh runs from Thursday 14 January to Tuesday 20 April 2027. News reports also call it the Ardh Kumbh; it is the same mela. See Haridwar dates.
The Nashik Kumbh is in 2026Tap to check
Partly It opens with the flag hoisting on 31 October 2026, but its main bathing days, the three Amrit Snans, are in August and September 2027. See the Nashik Simhastha timeline.
Ujjain has a Kumbh in 2026Tap to check
Myth Ujjain’s Simhastha is planned for 27 March to 27 May 2028, and its bathing days have not been announced. See Ujjain dates.

Why there is no Kumbh bathing season in 2026

The Kumbh moves between four places, and each follows its own timing in the sky and the Hindu calendar. Read how the Kumbh dates are set.

Prayagraj’s last Kumbh was the Maha Kumbh 2025, from 13 January to 26 February 2025. The next bathing seasons are Haridwar, from 14 January to 20 April 2027, and the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Amrit Snans in August and September 2027. Ujjain’s Simhastha is planned for 2028.

The Nashik flag hoisting on 31 October

The Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha formally begins with flags raised at Ramkund in Nashik and Kushavarta in Trimbakeshwar at the same moment, reported for 12:02 PM on Saturday 31 October 2026. The Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan counts the Kumbh period from this day.

If you plan to be there, check local police notices before you set out and follow police and mela instructions on the day.

The flag hoisting page has the programme as reported so far. The Nashik Simhastha timeline shows every date from the opening to the close in 2028.

What comes next, in 2027

  1. From 14 January: Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thursday 14 January to Tuesday 20 April 2027, with eleven bathing days and four Amrit Snans (Provisional). See the Haridwar Kumbh guide and Haridwar dates.
  2. From 15 January: Magh Mela 2027 at Prayagrajexpected from 15 January to 6 March 2027. It is the yearly mela, not a Kumbh. See Magh Mela 2027.
  3. August and September: the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Amrit SnansAmrit Snans on 2 August, 31 August and 11 and 12 September 2027 (Official). See Nashik dates.

Every date of the year is on the Kumbh Mela 2027 page. Ujjain’s Simhastha is on the Kumbh Mela 2028 page.

Questions people ask

2026 mein Kumbh kab hai?

There is no Kumbh bathing season in 2026. The year’s one Kumbh event is the flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026 that opens the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha. The next Kumbh bathing days begin at Haridwar on Thursday 14 January 2027.

Where next

Har Ki Pauri, HaridwarPhoto: TirthProvisionalहरिद्वार कुंभ 2027Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027Open the guideRamkund on Makar Sankranti 2025Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.0Officialनासिक कुंभ 2027Nashik–Trimbakeshwar SimhasthaMain bathing Aug to Sep 2027Open the guideRam Ghat on the ShipraPhoto: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0Expectedउज्जैन सिंहस्थ 2028Ujjain Simhastha 202827 Mar to 27 May 2028Open the guideBoats at the Sangam, PrayagrajPhoto: Ninara, CC BY 2.0Expectedप्रयागराज माघ मेला 2027Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Magh Mela, 15 Jan to 6 Mar 2027Open the guide

Sources

9 sources · checked 18 Oct 2026
  1. Kumbh Mela Plan (First Edition), Nashik Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027: schedule, framework, chapters and financial outlays · Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority, Office of the Divisional Commissioner, Nashik, Government of Maharashtra ·
  2. Nashik: 6000 tribal people to perform Godavari aarti alongside President Murmu · Free Press Journal ·
  3. Nashik: CP Sandeep Karnik Surveys Godavari Ghat Ahead Of President's Visit For Simhastha Ceremony · Free Press Journal (Milind Sajgure) ·
  4. Prayagraj: Over 4 million devotees take holy dip as Magh Mela concludes on Maha Shivratri · News On AIR (All India Radio News, Prasar Bharati) ·
  5. Culture & Heritage: Prayagraj (Annual Magh Mela) · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  6. Snan and Events: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
  7. Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar · Press Trust of India (via The Week) ·
  8. Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·
  9. MP Simhastha Kumbh 2028: ₹25k Cr Infrastructure Push For 40Cr Devotees, Says CM Yadav · Deccan Chronicle ·