Camel Festival

Venue: Bikaner
Time: In the month of January
Duration: 2 days

About Camel Festival
The Camel festival is organized by the Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, every year in the month of January, in Bikaner. The festival is a celebration of the ships of desert better known as Camels. Camels attract tourists from all over the world with their graceful movements. The festival has unusual camel performances: camel races, camel dances, and the jolting, neck shaking camel rides.

The Camel Festival starts with a colorful procession of adorned camels against the red sandstone backdrop of the Junagarh Fort. Then the festival progresses to the open sand-spreads of the grounds, followed by the best breed competition, the tug-of-war contest, camel dance and acrobatics, etc.

The camels present surprising footwork, dancing gracefully to the slightest direction of their trainers. Bridal, bridles, bejeweled necks, jingling anklets and long, gangling camel shadows on dusky sands cast a magical spell. This festival is one of the most sought after events in Rajasthan which attracts lots of tourists from all over the world.

In the evenings famous folk artists from Rajasthan perform and entertain tourists. The enthusiastic Rajasthani dancers, the fascinating fire dance, and the dazzling fireworks light up the bastioned desert city of Bikaner.

Major Tourist Attractions
Events
Camel races, Camel dances and rides are the highlights of this festival. Apart from these folk songs and dances in the evenings are also an added attraction.

Other attractions, Bikaner is famous for are, Junagarh Fort, The Suraj Pol or Sun Gate, Lal garh Palace, Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Gardens, Parks and many more.

Getting There
Air : The nearest airport service is at Jodhpur.
Rail : Several trains link it to important cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Jodhpur.
Road : Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable deluxe buses from Delhi (Bikaner House, Near India Gate) to Bikaner. The roads are very good, and it takes around 8-9 hrs from Jaipur. Private car and taxis are also available for hire.

Accommodation
Bikaner has many hotels ranging from heritage, budget and resorts. Just choose one of them according to your budget and requirement.