Dussehra 2026 in Delhi: Ramlila Shows & Ravan Dahan

Dussehra (Vijayadashami) falls on Tuesday 20 October 2026, according to Drik Panchang's New Delhi calendar, and that evening effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad are burnt at Ramlila grounds across Delhi NCR. In the run-up, Ramlilas, the staged retelling of the Ramayana usually based on Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, are performed every night through Navratri, which begins on 11 October. The best known are on the grounds facing the Red Fort and at Ramlila Maidan near Delhi Gate, which was filled in during the early 1930s so the annual Ramlila could move there from the Yamuna's sandy banks. Hundreds of neighbourhood committees stage their own in parks and grounds from Dwarka to Mayur Vihar, and Gurgaon and Noida have large ones too. For a seated, ticketed version, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra near Mandi House has staged a dance-drama Ramlila, blending classical and folk forms, every Dussehra season since 1957. The Ramlila tradition was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. Effigy burning takes place after sunset on Dussehra; expect fireworks, heavy crowds and traffic diversions near the big grounds. This page lists Ramlilas, Dussehra melas and Ravan Dahan events.