Skip to content
Language : English
Menu

The International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh

3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

In short

Two different events in Rishikesh are called the International Yoga Festival, both in March. Parmarth Niketan's ticketed festival ran from 9 to 15 March 2026; the state festival of Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN closed on 22 March 2026. On 16 October 2026, neither organiser had published its 2027 dates. In 2027, the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh bathing days also fall in March.

Every March, Rishikesh fills with yoga practitioners from all over the world for "the International Yoga Festival". Many visitors do not realise that two different events use that name, with two organisers, two venues and two sets of dates. Here is what each organiser had published on 16 October 2026, and how to plan for 2027.

Festival 1: Parmarth Niketan

Parmarth Niketan, the large ashram in Swarg Ashram on the east bank, presents on its official site its "world famous annual International Yoga Festival". The festival has its own website, internationalyogafestival.org.

  • 2026: the festival's listing gave 9 to 15 March 2026 at Parmarth Niketan, a week the site describes as a "7-day immersion" on the banks of the Ganga. Press coverage reported the opening on Monday 9 March.
  • Scale, in the organiser's words: "Each year IYF hosts nearly 2000 participants who come from across the globe, representing more than 100 countries", with "over 70 hours of Yoga classes" across several styles.
  • 2027: on 16 October 2026, the site displayed a countdown headed "International Yoga Festival 2027" without any date, and invited visitors to buy tickets. It listed related programmes at the ashram: "The Roots of Yoga" from 1 to 5 March 2027, a Mahashivratri retreat from 5 to 7 March 2027, and a 200-hour teacher training from 22 March to 17 April 2027. It did not say whether the first two are part of the festival.
  • Registration: paid, through the festival's website. Prices are set by the organiser; we do not reproduce them.

Festival 2: Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN

The state government runs its own International Yoga Festival. According to a press note from Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand, the office of the Governor, the 2026 edition closed on 22 March 2026 in Rishikesh. It was "organized by the Tourism Department and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam", GMVN being the state's tourism corporation, and "the week-long festival witnessed participation from over 2,500 yoga practitioners from India and abroad". The closing ceremony was attended by the Governor, a state cabinet minister, spiritual leaders and the managing director of GMVN.

For 2027, we found no official dates on 16 October 2026. Watch the announcements of Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN from the start of the year.

A short history

The encyclopedic entry on Rishikesh states that the city "has hosted the International Yoga Festival annually on the first week of March since 1999", which helped give it the nickname "Yoga Capital of the World". The 2026 calendar shows that the dates can shift within March.

Planning for March 2027

  1. Watch both official sources from January: internationalyogafestival.org for Parmarth Niketan, and the Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN announcements for the state festival.
  2. Mind the Kumbh. The Mela officer of the Haridwar Ardh Kumbh announced bathing dates from 14 January to 20 April 2027, including two "Amrit Snan" days on 6 March (Mahashivratri) and 8 March (PTI, 15 April 2026). Haridwar is a short drive from Rishikesh: roads, trains and rooms will be under pressure around those days.
  3. Book accommodation early, in writing, with clear cancellation terms. If you stay at an ashram during the festival, read its rules first: see ashrams in Rishikesh.
  4. Get the right visa. A festival is a short yoga programme, which the official e-Tourist Visa lists among its purposes. Apply at least four days ahead on the official site: see India e-Visa.
  5. Pack for March weather. At the official Dehradun station, March averages 26.8 °C by day and 12.2 °C at night (IMD normals 1971-2010): warm afternoons, cool mornings by the river. More on when to visit Rishikesh.

Making the most of the week

  • Choose a few sessions and teachers rather than trying everything: a festival programme is dense.
  • Keep time for the evening Ganga aarti, held every evening at sunset on Parmarth Niketan's ghat.
  • Drink water and protect yourself from the sun on outdoor sessions.
  • Respect the setting: an ashram during a festival is still an ashram, with its dress code and its rules on food and silence.

And 21 June

The other great date is the International Day of Yoga on 21 June, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in resolution 69/131 of 11 December 2014; the UN's theme for 2026 was "Yoga for Healthy Ageing". It is a single day, not a festival, and falls in the hot season, just before the monsoon.

Back to the Rishikesh guide, or plan your journey with how to reach Rishikesh.

Questions people ask

When is the International Yoga Festival 2027 in Rishikesh?

Not yet announced on 16 October 2026. Parmarth Niketan's festival site showed a countdown to 2027 without dates; it listed related programmes at the ashram from 1 to 7 March 2027. No 2027 dates were published for the Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN festival either.

Is the Parmarth Niketan festival the same as the government one?

No. They are two events with two organisers. Parmarth Niketan runs a ticketed festival in its ashram; the Tourism Department of Uttarakhand and GMVN, the state tourism corporation, run another week-long festival, whose 2026 edition closed on 22 March.

Since when has the festival been held?

The encyclopedic entry on Rishikesh says the International Yoga Festival has been held annually in the first week of March since 1999. The 2026 dates show it can move later in the month.

Do I need to register?

For Parmarth Niketan's festival, yes: its official site sells tickets online. For the state festival, follow the official announcements of Uttarakhand Tourism and GMVN when the 2027 dates are published.

Sources

  1. International Yoga Festival, official website (2027 countdown, tickets, related programmes) checked October 16, 2026
  2. Governor participated in the closing ceremony of the International Yoga Festival 2026 held in Rishikesh — Lok Bhavan Uttarakhand, 22 March 2026 checked October 16, 2026
  3. Parmarth Niketan, official website (annual International Yoga Festival, Ganga aarti) checked October 16, 2026
  4. Rishikesh — Wikipedia (International Yoga Festival held annually since 1999) checked October 16, 2026
  5. Dates announced for bathing festivals during Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar — The Week (PTI), 15 April 2026 checked October 16, 2026
  6. International Day of Yoga, 21 June — United Nations checked October 16, 2026

Want to go and practise yoga there?

Tell us where, when and how you practise. Clément, who lives in Rishikesh, reads every request and answers you personally. No automated email, no commission, no promise of a price or a partner.

Read next

Choosing a yoga teacher training in RishikeshSeasons, kinds of schools, the visa question, Form C and the checks to run, with no ranking of schools.आश्रमAshrams in Rishikesh, how to choose and stayāśrama · hermitage, a place of effortWhat ashrams publish about their rules and days, the questions to ask, the warning signs: no ranking.When to visit Rishikesh, month by monthOfficial weather normals, monsoon, rafting season, festivals and the 2027 Kumbh: plan your month.