Kumbh Mela 2026 to 2031

Next Kumbh Mela: Every Upcoming Kumbh

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Tue 20 Oct 2026

The next Kumbh Mela to begin is the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, which opens with the flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026; its main bathing days are in August and September 2027.

ProvisionalChecked on Tue 20 Oct 2026

Nashik dates are in the Kumbh Mela Authority's plan (official). Haridwar dates were announced by the mela administration (provisional). Ujjain's window is in the state's plan, given in March 2024 and repeated in June 2026 (expected).

Haridwar Kumbh 2027 runs from Thursday 14 January to Tuesday 20 April 2027. Ujjain's Simhastha is planned for 27 March to 27 May 2028. Prayagraj holds its Magh Mela every year, and its next Ardh Kumbh is expected in 2031.

Also asked as Next Kumbh kab hai? 2026 mein Kumbh kab hai?

What comes next, in order

Every gathering ahead, from the next one to begin, with its dates and how sure they are. Tap one for its guide.

Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.02026Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha opensFlag hoisting, Sat 31 Oct 2026Provisional

Photo: Tirth2027Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027; 4 Amrit SnansProvisional

Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.02027Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Fri 15 Jan to Sat 6 Mar 2027Expected

Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.02027Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha 2027Amrit Snans 2 Aug, 31 Aug and 11 to 12 Sep 2027Official

Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.02028Ujjain Simhastha 202827 Mar to 27 May 2028 (planned)Expected

Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.02031Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh 20312031, dates not announcedExpected

Photo: Tirth2033Haridwar Kumbh (about 2033)by the 12-year cycle; not announcedExpected

Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.02037Prayagraj Kumbh (about 2037)by the 12-year cycle; not announcedExpected

Photo: Rohit R Nashik, CC BY-SA 4.02039Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha (about 2039)by the 12-year cycle; not announcedExpected

Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.02040Ujjain Simhastha (about 2040)by the 12-year cycle; not announcedExpected

Where the four Kumbh places are

The four Kumbh places and their rivers. Nashik and Trimbakeshwar are the two centres of one Simhastha, about 30 km apart.

Haridwar Ganga
Prayagraj Ganga, Yamuna
Nashik Godavari
Ujjain Shipra

Rivers and coast, simplified. Not a political map: no borders are shown. Natural Earth (public domain) and OpenStreetMap contributors. openstreetmap.org/copyright

Every Kumbh from 2025 to 2040

Pick a year to see which Kumbh falls in it, where, and how sure the date is. Year pages: 2026, 2027, 2028.

Tap a dot to see the dates and their status. Small dots on the Prayagraj line are the yearly Magh Mela.

Years after 2028 follow the 12-year cycle and are not announced. Past years from our history pages.

Which Kumbh is in which year?

2025

Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 202513 Jan to 26 Feb 2025
Held

2026 this year

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2026January to February 2026
Held
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha opensFlag hoisting, Sat 31 Oct 2026
Provisional

Also in the news in 2026: the Mahamagha festival at Thirunavaya in Kerala, on the Bharathapuzha from 18 January to 3 February, called the Kerala Kumbh Mela by the press. It is a regional festival, not one of the four Kumbh places.

2027

Haridwar Kumbh 2027Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027; 4 Amrit Snans
Provisional
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027Fri 15 Jan to Sat 6 Mar 2027
Expected
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha 2027Amrit Snans 2 Aug, 31 Aug and 11 to 12 Sep 2027
Official

2028

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2028January to February 2028, dates not announced
Expected
Ujjain Simhastha 202827 Mar to 27 May 2028 (planned)
Expected
Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha closesMon 24 Jul (Trimbakeshwar) and Sat 29 Jul 2028 (Nashik)
Official

2029

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2029January to February 2029, dates not announced
Expected

2030

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2030January to February 2030, dates not announced
Expected

2031

Prayagraj Ardh Kumbh 20312031, dates not announced
Expected

2032

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2032January to February 2032, dates not announced
Expected

2033

Haridwar Kumbh (about 2033)by the 12-year cycle; not announced
Expected
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2033January to February 2033, dates not announced
Expected

2034

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2034January to February 2034, dates not announced
Expected

2035

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2035January to February 2035, dates not announced
Expected

2036

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2036January to February 2036, dates not announced
Expected

2037

Prayagraj Kumbh (about 2037)by the 12-year cycle; not announced
Expected

2038

Prayagraj Magh Mela 2038January to February 2038, dates not announced
Expected

2039

Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha (about 2039)by the 12-year cycle; not announced
Expected
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2039January to February 2039, dates not announced
Expected

2040

Ujjain Simhastha (about 2040)by the 12-year cycle; not announced
Expected
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2040January to February 2040, dates not announced
Expected

Years after 2031 follow the 12-year cycle of each place; the authorities have not announced them. The Magh Mela is held at Prayagraj every January and February.

Every Kumbh since 1954

Thirty-seven gatherings at the four places since Independence, each with the name used at the time and the source it comes from. A few years rest on a single source or are not settled; the mark beside each row says so.

13 Prayagraj
12 Haridwar
6 Nashik-Trimbakeshwar
6 Ujjain

Show all 37 gatherings since 1954

Year	Place	Name used	When	Source
1954	Prayagraj	Kumbh	Magh, January to February 1954First Kumbh after Independence. According to Maclean, the new government encouraged people to attend, and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited the mela in January 1954.	DocumentedKama Maclean, Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765-1954 (Oxford University Press, 2008), chapter 6, 'The Sarkari Mela: The Allahabad Kumbh, 1954'
1956	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundHaridwar was then in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The year rests on 1956 newsreel footage described as the Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar and on the six-year rule after the 1950 Kumbh given in the district gazetteer. No dated record found.	Sources differThe Quint, 'Ever Wondered How the Kumbh Mela Looked in 1927? Or 1956?', 15 January 2019 (British Pathe footage)
1956	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	Fourteen months from 20 September 1955, according to a government press noteNashik was then in Bombay State. The Simhastha year ran from 1955 into 1956, and the Maharashtra gazetteers list it as 1956.	DocumentedThe Manipur Gazette, 1955-56, press note on the Sinhasta Fair at Nasik and Trimbak (September 1955)
1957	Ujjain	Simhastha	Vaishakh, April to May 1957The state government had announced the mela for 1956, but it was held a year later because the ascetics did not observe it that year; some groups observed it in 1956. Ujjain had become part of the new state of Madhya Pradesh in November 1956.	Secondary sourceD. P. Dubey, 'Kumbha Mela: Origin and Historicity', in D. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), pp. 18 and 36
1960	Prayagraj	Ardh Kumbh	Magh, January to February 1960The six-yearly half Kumbh after the 1954 Kumbh, reported by TIME in its issue of 8 February 1960.	DocumentedTIME, 'Religion: The Urn Festival', 8 February 1960
1962	Haridwar	Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundHeld in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The administration estimated about 20 lakh bathers on the main bathing day.	DocumentedUttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Saharanpur (Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1981), pp. 91 and 337
1966	Prayagraj	Kumbh	January to early February 1966; the fair period recorded by the district gazetteer ran from 1 January to 7 February 1966Held 12 years after 1954. The Uttar Pradesh government made elaborate special arrangements. Astrologers disagreed on the year, and some pilgrims bathed for the Kumbh in 1965.	DocumentedUttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Allahabad (Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1968), p. 147
1968	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundThe geographer Surinder M. Bhardwaj surveyed where pilgrims at this Ardh Kumbh came from and published the results in 1973.	Secondary sourceSurinder M. Bhardwaj, Hindu Places of Pilgrimage in India: A Study in Cultural Geography (University of California Press, 1973)
1968	Ujjain	Simhastha	13 April to 12 May 1968One later account says some akharas held their Simhastha in 1969 instead; the academic record gives 1968.	Secondary sourceD. P. Dubey, 'Kumbha Mela: Origin and Historicity', in D. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), p. 37
1968	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	Season not recorded in the sources we foundSources differ on the year label. The Maharashtra Gazetteers Department list gives 1968, while the 1975 Nasik District Gazetteer refers to the 1967 Simhastha. The Simhastha year ran from 1967 into 1968.	Sources differGazetteers Department, Government of Maharashtra, 'About Kumbha Mela' (list of Simhastha years, citing the Gavakari Simhastha Kumbhamela special issue, March 2003)
1971	Prayagraj	Ardh Kumbh	Magh, January 1971Called the Ardh Kumbh because January 1971 fell halfway through the 12-year cycle. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, camped at the mela with his disciples.	Secondary sourceSatsvarupa dasa Goswami, Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, Vol. 4 (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust), entry for 12 January 1971, Allahabad
1974	Haridwar	Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundThe fair was divided into 14 sectors and run by the district magistrate under the U.P. Melas Act, 1938. The administration estimated a rush of about 40 lakh people on the main bathing day.	DocumentedUttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Saharanpur (Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1981), pp. 91 and 337
1977	Prayagraj	Kumbh	Magh, January to February 1977Held 11 years after the 1966 Kumbh. The mela was laid out on about 2,665 acres of the riverbed, with eight temporary bridges on the Ganga and one on the Yamuna.	Secondary sourceD. P. Dubey, 'Kumbha Mela: Origin and Historicity', in D. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), pp. 36 and 39
1980	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundYear inferred, not documented. The district gazetteer says the Ardh Kumbh falls six years after a Kumbh, which gives 1980 after the 1974 Kumbh. No dated record found.	Sources differUttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Saharanpur (Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1981), p. 91
1980	Ujjain	Simhastha	April 1980By long practice the akharas took one main shahi snan, on Vaishakh Purnima.	Secondary sourceAlok Anu, 'Rochak ghatnaon se bhara hai Simhastha ka itihas' (The history of Simhastha is full of interesting events), Webdunia Hindi, 2 April 2016
1980	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	Season not recorded in the sources we foundUnder the Jupiter in Leo rule, the Simhastha year ran from late 1979 into 1980.	DocumentedGazetteers Department, Government of Maharashtra, 'About Kumbha Mela' (list of Simhastha years, citing the Gavakari Simhastha Kumbhamela special issue, March 2003)
1982	Prayagraj	Ardh Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundYear not settled. The only source found is a passing mention of the Ardha Kumbha Mela of 1982 at Allahabad. The six-year spacing (1977 plus 6, 1989 minus 6) would give 1983, and an uncited encyclopedia table gives 1984. No official or newspaper record found.	Sources differMiloslav Krasa, 'Kumbha Mela', in D. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), p. 83
1986	Haridwar	Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundThe mela area of about 130 square kilometres took in parts of five districts and was divided into 20 sectors. The last Kumbh held while Haridwar was part of Saharanpur district.	DocumentedD. P. Dubey, 'Kumbha Mela: Origin and Historicity', in D. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), p. 40
1989	Prayagraj	Kumbh	Magh, January to February 1989Billed at the time as the most auspicious Kumbh in 144 years. The mela area covered about 3,500 acres in nine administrative sectors.	Secondary sourceD. P. Dubey (ed.), Kumbha Mela: Pilgrimage to the Greatest Cosmic Fair (Society of Pilgrimage Studies, Allahabad, 2001), pp. 35 and 39 (D. P. Dubey) and p. 55 (M. Darrol Bryant, 'River of Grace: The Kumbha Mela')
1991	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	From August 1991, with the Simhastha year running into 1992Lok Sabha records of August and September 1991 refer to the Kumbh Mela under way at Nasik and the Sinhastha Parva at Trimbakeshwar. Some later sources give the year as 1992.	DocumentedLok Sabha debates, 27 August 1991, 'Tourism Development at Places of Kumbh Mela'
1992	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	Season not recorded in the sources we foundHeld in the new Haridwar district of Uttar Pradesh, formed in 1988. A Rajya Sabha answer of 6 May 1992 records railway scouts deputed to help pilgrims at the mela.	DocumentedRajya Sabha, unstarred question 1063, 'Scout Group to Aardh Kumbh Mela at Hardwar', 6 May 1992
1992	Ujjain	Simhastha	From 17 April 1992 (Vaishakh)A Lok Sabha answer of 7 April 1992 records special trains for the Simhastha starting at Ujjain from 17 April 1992.	DocumentedLok Sabha, unstarred question 6446, 'Special Trains for Singhasth', 7 April 1992
1995	Prayagraj	Ardh Kumbh	Magh, January to February 1995India Post issued a special cover for the Ardha Kumbha Mela at Allahabad on 30 January 1995.	Secondary sourceIndia Post special cover, 'Ardha Kumbha Mela, Allahabad', 30 January 1995 (described on the Sanskrit on Stamps blog)
1998	Haridwar	Kumbh	1 January to 29 April 1998The last Kumbh at Haridwar under Uttar Pradesh, before Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) was formed in November 2000.	DocumentedChristian Science Monitor, 'World's Largest Religious Festival Bathes in Hope', 15 April 1998
2001	Prayagraj	Maha Kumbh	9 January to 21 February 2001First Kumbh of the new millennium. It opened on Paush Purnima and closed on Mahashivratri.	DocumentedNews-India Times, 'Maha Kumbha Mela Ends on Maha Sivaratri', 2 March 2001 (reprinted by Hindu Press International)
2003	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	30 July 2003 to 27 August 2004Flags were hoisted at Ramkund in Nashik and at Kushavarta in Trimbakeshwar on 30 July 2003.	DocumentedThe Tribune (PTI), 'Simhasta Kumbh Mela begins', 31 July 2003
2004	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	From 14 January 2004, running into MayDescribed as the first Ardh Kumbh of the century, and the first prepared by the new state of Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand).	DocumentedThe Tribune, report from Hardwar on the first Ardh Kumbh of the century, 14 April 2004
2004	Ujjain	Simhastha	5 April to 4 May 2004The Akhara Parishad fixed three shahi snans for this Simhastha.	DocumentedHindu Press International, 'Parishad Meeting Declares Three Shahi Snans During Simhastha', 16 March 2004
2007	Prayagraj	Ardh Kumbh	3 January to mid-February 2007 (about 42 days)A 42-day Ardh Kumbh that opened on Paush Purnima, 3 January 2007.	DocumentedReuters, 'Hindus throng to Ganges for bathing festival', 3 January 2007 (NBC News)
2010	Haridwar	Kumbh	1 January to 30 April 2010 (notified mela period)Called Uttarakhand's first Kumbh by the mela administration, which estimated more than 8 crore pilgrims over the mela period.	DocumentedKumbh Mela 2010 Administration Report (Kumbh Mela Administration, Haridwar, Government of Uttarakhand; in Hindi)
2013	Prayagraj	Maha Kumbh	14 January to 10 March 2013Called the Maha Kumbh by the state. A Harvard University team mapped the temporary mela city, published in 2015 as Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity.	DocumentedComptroller and Auditor General of India, Report No. 3 of 2014, Performance Audit on Maha Kumbh Mela-2013, Allahabad
2015	Nashik-Trimbakeshwar	Simhastha	From 14 July 2015 (flag hoisting) for about a yearAccording to tradition, Vaishnava akharas bathe at Ramkund in Nashik and Shaiva akharas at Kushavarta in Trimbakeshwar.	DocumentedIANS, 'Simhastha Kumbh Mela starts in Nashik, Trimbakeshwar' (Business Standard), 14 July 2015
2016	Haridwar	Ardh Kumbh	About four months, ending in late April 2016Its last festive bath was on Chaitra Purnima, 22 April 2016.	DocumentedThe Tribune, 'In a first, deities to have bath at Ardh Kumbh', 19 April 2016
2016	Ujjain	Simhastha	22 April to 21 May 2016Organised by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. According to the Ministry of Culture, the Shaiva and Vaishnava akharas agreed for the first time to bathe at the same time, and the administration estimated nearly 6 crore visitors over the month.	DocumentedPress Information Bureau (Ministry of Culture), 'M/o Culture organizes National Cultural Festival in Simhastha Kumbh in Ujjain from April 22, 2016', 21 April 2016
2019	Prayagraj	Kumbh	15 January to 4 March 2019An Ardh Kumbh in the six-year cycle, officially called Kumbh after a 2017 Uttar Pradesh law named the six-yearly mela Kumbh and the 12-yearly mela Maha Kumbh. The administration estimated more than 22 crore pilgrims by the fifth of the six bathing days.	DocumentedPress Information Bureau (Ministry of Culture), 'All set for Kumbh Mela-2019 at Prayagraj', 13 January 2019
2021	Haridwar	Kumbh	1 to 30 April 2021 (formal mela period set by state notification)Held 11 years after 2010. According to the traditional reckoning used by the mela administration, the Sun entered Aries with Jupiter in Aquarius in 2021 rather than 2022, so the Kumbh came a year early.	DocumentedKumbh Mela 2021 official website, 'Introduction' (Government of Uttarakhand), archived 17 January 2021
2025	Prayagraj	Maha Kumbh	13 January to 26 February 2025Held 12 years after the 2013 Maha Kumbh. The administration estimated more than 66 crore visitors by the closing day.	DocumentedPress Information Bureau (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), 'Mahakumbh 2025: A Spectacle of Faith, Unity, and Tradition', 26 February 2025

The Magh Mela is held every year at the Sangam in Prayagraj in the Hindu month of Magh (January to February). It traditionally begins around Makar Sankranti, and many pilgrims stay for the whole month as kalpavasis. According to the Allahabad District Gazetteer (1968), the fair held every sixth year is the Ardh Kumbh and the one held every twelfth year is the Kumbh. Yearly Magh Melas are not listed in this table. Source: Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Allahabad (Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1968), pp. 82 to 83 and 147, https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.08718

Download the list as CSV · Checked on Tue 20 Oct 2026. Free to reuse with a link to KumbhMela.info.

Searches people get wrong

Myth or fact?

The Nashik Kumbh is in 2026Tap to check

Partly It opens with the flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026, but that is a ceremony, not a bathing day. Its three Amrit Snans are on 2 August, 31 August and 11 and 12 September 2027, and no Kumbh bathing day falls in 2026. See Kumbh Mela 2026.

Kumbh Mela 2027 is at PrayagrajTap to check

Myth Prayagraj held the Maha Kumbh in 2025. In 2027 it has its yearly Magh Mela, which is not a Kumbh, and its next Ardh Kumbh is expected in 2031. The Kumbhs of 2027 are at Haridwar and at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar: see Kumbh Mela 2027.

The Ujjain Kumbh is in 2027Tap to check

Myth Ujjain’s Simhastha is planned for 27 March to 27 May 2028, and its bathing days have not been announced. See Kumbh Mela 2028.

The next Maha Kumbh already has a dateTap to check

Myth Maha Kumbh is the name the central government used for Prayagraj 2025. No date has been announced for the next one.

The Kerala Kumbh Mela at Thirunavaya is one of the KumbhsTap to check

Myth The Mahamagha festival at Thirunavaya, in Kerala’s Malappuram district, was held on the Bharathapuzha from 18 January to 3 February 2026, and the press called it the Kerala Kumbh Mela. Its organisers describe it as a revival of the Mamangam, held there every twelve years by tradition. It is a regional festival, not one of the four Kumbh places: Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain and Nashik. A 2027 edition was announced for 15 January to 6 March, but in October 2026 its organisation was reported to be uncertain.

Which Kumbh is next for you?

Plan my Kumbh in three taps

Haridwar Kumbh 2027: Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027
Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha: Main bathing Aug to Sep 2027
Ujjain Simhastha 2028: 27 Mar to 27 May 2028
Prayagraj Magh Mela 2027: Magh Mela, 15 Jan to 6 Mar 2027

Why the dates move

Each Kumbh follows Jupiter and the Sun through the zodiac, and its bathing days follow the tithi, the lunar day. That is why the dates change and why only the authority running each Kumbh can fix them. Read how the Kumbh dates are set, and how we mark dates official, provisional or expected.

KumbhaJupiter’s sign for Haridwar

Simhafor Nashik and Ujjain, hence Simhastha

Vrishabhaone sign given for Prayagraj

About 12 yearsfor Jupiter to go once round the zodiac

PrayagrajVrishabha (Taurus)Magh Mela every year; Ardh Kumbh expected in 2031
Nashik and TrimbakeshwarSimha (Leo)Main bathing Aug to Sep 2027
UjjainSimha (Leo)27 Mar to 27 May 2028
HaridwarKumbha (Aquarius)Thu 14 Jan to Tue 20 Apr 2027

By tradition each place has its own sign for Jupiter, with conditions for the Sun and Moon; Nashik and Ujjain share Simha, which is why both are called Simhastha. The authority running each Kumbh announces the actual dates. How the dates are set

Plan this trip with Tirth

Tirth.com's yatra team replies between 10:30 AM and 7:30 PM IST. We keep your name, number and trip details only to pass them to that team, for up to 13 months, and delete them sooner if you ask. Privacy

From Tirth.com, which runs this guide · How this works

Questions people ask

Agla Kumbh kab hai?

The next Kumbh to begin is the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, which opens with the flag hoisting on Saturday 31 October 2026. Its bathing days are in August and September 2027. Haridwar Kumbh runs from 14 January to 20 April 2027, and Ujjain’s Simhastha is planned for 27 March to 27 May 2028.