Official dates for the 2027 Bikaner Camel Festival had not been announced when this was written. A government events listing reportedly places it on a weekend in the second week of January, at Junagarh Fort, though travel guides gave differing dates for 2026. One possible pattern is Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 January 2027, but it is unconfirmed. Bikaner has its own small airport at Nal, with Delhi flights.
Updated October 2026 · HappyFares
The Camel Festival is one of Rajasthan’s best-loved winter events, and the Thar desert city of Bikaner is easy to reach if you plan the flight early. Here is what can be confirmed, and what to watch for.
When is the Bikaner Camel Festival in 2027?
The 2027 dates were not published at the time of writing. A government events listing describes the festival as organised by Rajasthan Tourism in January, reportedly on the second Saturday and Sunday. Travel guides disagreed on the 2026 edition, giving either 11 and 12 January or 9 to 11 January, at Junagarh Fort, and I could not confirm either against an official 2026 notice.
If the second-weekend pattern holds, the 2027 festival would fall on Saturday 9 January and Sunday 10 January 2027. Treat this as a planning estimate. Wait for the Rajasthan Department of Tourism, Art and Culture or the Bikaner district administration to announce the schedule before booking anything non-refundable.
What happens at the festival?
Reported highlights include a camel parade in front of Junagarh Fort, camel races, camel dance and acrobatics, folk music, fire dance and puppet shows, with fireworks to close. The government listing also mentions a heritage walk, camel milking and rural wrestling. Programmes can change from year to year, so use the official schedule when it appears.
Bikaner winters are cold in the evening. One travel guide warns that January nights can come close to freezing, so pack warm layers for the fort and for late events.
Can I fly directly to Bikaner?
Yes, there is an airport. Bikaner Airport is at Nal, about 13 km west of the city. Wikipedia’s airport page lists two airlines, Alliance Air and IndiGo, both flying to Delhi. A schedule feed I saw for the period from September 2026 also showed non-stop Bikaner to Delhi service, but the carriers and frequencies shown differed between sources, so I cannot tell you which airline operates on which day.
The practical advice is simple. Search Delhi to Bikaner for your dates, check which airline is flying, and book early for the festival weekend, because a small airport with few daily flights fills up quickly. If you want a fare you can change, compare the flexible fare families: Flexi Plus on IndiGo, and Flex on Air India Express or Air India, where those airlines operate your route.
What if there is no convenient flight to Bikaner?
Jodhpur and Jaipur are the other airports commonly used for western Rajasthan trips, and both have wider flight options than Bikaner. From either, you would continue to Bikaner by road or rail, and the time needed is long enough to plan a full day for it. I have not given distances here because I could not verify them from an official source, so check a map or the state tourism website.
A sensible plan for a weekend festival is to fly into Bikaner if a convenient flight exists, and otherwise arrive a day early at Jodhpur or Jaipur and travel overland, rather than racing the clock on the morning of the event.
How should I plan the trip?
The festival is a short, two-day affair on a weekend, so the main risk is a flight that lands too late or leaves too early to enjoy it. Build a little slack into both ends of the trip, and look at return flights as carefully as outbound ones, since the Sunday evening departures tend to be the busiest.
- Wait for official dates, then book flights as soon as they are published.
- Arrive the day before the festival if you can, so a delayed flight does not cost you the opening.
- Set a price alert for Delhi to Bikaner so you see fare changes without checking daily.
- Carry a warm layer in your cabin bag, since desert evenings are cold in January.
- Remember that liquids in the cabin bag are held to 100 ml per container.
Because the airport at Nal is a small one, a sensible habit is to check your flight status the evening before, since small-airport schedules are usually thin and a single cancellation can leave few alternatives.
Common Questions
Are the 2027 festival dates confirmed?
No. The festival is listed as a second-weekend-of-January event, but the official 2027 dates were not out when this was written.
Where is the festival held?
Travel guides place it at Junagarh Fort in Bikaner. Confirm the venue in the official notice once it is published.
Does Bikaner have an airport?
Yes, Bikaner Airport at Nal, about 13 km west of the city. Flights have been listed to Delhi, with airlines varying by source.
Which other airports can I use?
Jodhpur and Jaipur are alternatives for western Rajasthan, followed by an onward road or rail journey.
Do Indian airlines charge for check-in?
No. Neither web check-in nor airport check-in carries a fee on Indian airlines.
Should I book flights before the dates are announced?
If you must, choose a flexible fare. Otherwise wait for the official announcement, then book quickly.
Search and compare flights on HappyFares to Bikaner, Jodhpur or Jaipur, with zero convenience fee on domestic bookings. Add a price alert, or ask Meera, our AI assistant, to find a fare that suits your dates.
Event dates, schedules and fees change. Please verify current specifics with Rajasthan Tourism, your airline, DGCA or the airport before you travel.
