Quick answer: Navratri 2026 runs from Sunday 11 to Monday 19 October 2026 (Drik Panchang, India), with Dussehra on Tuesday 20 October. When we checked organiser and ticket pages on 7 October 2026 we found about 370 upcoming Garba and Dandiya listings worldwide: about 125 in the USA, about 85 in India, about 55 in the UK, about 45 in Canada, about 30 in Australia and New Zealand, about 25 in Europe and four in Singapore. Abroad, Garba is concentrated on three weekends: 9 to 11 October, 16 to 18 October and 23 to 25 October. Pick your country below for the full event tables, and always confirm with the organiser before you travel.

Last updated: 7 October 2026.

This page is the starting point for HinduTone's Garba 2026 guides. Each country page lists events with dates, venues, organisers and links to the official page; this page explains when and where to look, and what Garba means. For the puja side of the festival, see the Navratri 2026 NRI guide.

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  • Navratri: Sunday 11 October to Monday 19 October 2026 (Drik Panchang, India). Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami both fall on Monday 19 October.
  • Dussehra (Vijayadashami): Tuesday 20 October 2026.
  • Sharad Purnima: Sunday 25 October 2026. Many communities hold a Sharad Poonam Garba or raas night around it; see Sharad Purnima 2026.

In India, especially in Gujarat, Garba is danced every night of Navratri. Outside India, most halls and arenas are booked for the weekends, so this is the pattern you will see in the listings:

WeekendWhat is typical
Fri 9 - Sun 11 Oct 2026Opening weekend. Many multi-night festivals begin on Friday 9 or Saturday 10 October; Ghatasthapana and the first night of Navratri fall on Sunday 11 October.
Mon 12 - Thu 15 Oct 2026Weeknights. Temple Garba and community halls with nightly Navratri; some ladies-only and kids' sessions.
Fri 16 - Sun 18 Oct 2026The busiest weekend abroad: the largest community, arena and ticketed Garba and Dandiya nights.
Mon 19 - Tue 20 Oct 2026Ashtami and Navami (19 Oct) and Dussehra (20 Oct). Final nights of nightly Garba; Gujarat's grounds close their season.
Fri 23 - Sun 25 Oct 2026Post-Navratri and Sharad Poonam nights, popular in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
Late Oct - early Nov 2026A few late nights in North America, such as 30 and 31 October; check the country pages.

For the colour of each day, see Navratri 2026 colours: the 9 days list.

Garba 2026 by country

The counts below include only listings dated 7 October 2026 or later (multi-night events still running count as upcoming), taken from organiser, temple, venue and official ticket pages, plus a few third-party listings that the country pages mark as such. They are approximate: some organisers sell each night separately, and new events are still being announced.

USA

About 125 upcoming listings in around 18 states, the most of any country outside India. California (mainly the Bay Area, plus Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego) and New Jersey lead, followed by Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia. See Garba 2026 USA for the state-by-state list, and the city pages for New Jersey, New York, Boston and Massachusetts, the San Francisco Bay Area, Texas and Chicago. For Ghatasthapana times in US cities, see Navratri 2026 in the USA, city by city.

Canada

About 45 upcoming listings in some 25 Canadian cities, three quarters of them in Ontario: Brampton, Toronto, Mississauga, Markham and the wider GTA, plus Kitchener-Cambridge, Hamilton, Ottawa and Kingston. Out west there are listings in Calgary, Edmonton, Surrey and Port Coquitlam, with Montreal and Saskatoon too. See Garba 2026 Canada, Garba 2026 Toronto and GTA and Garba 2026 Brampton, and Navratri 2026 Canada city by city for puja timings.

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United Kingdom

About 55 upcoming listings, three quarters of them in Greater London (Harrow, Kenton, Kingsbury, Wembley, Ilford, Croydon, Hounslow and more), with Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Slough, Reading, Bournemouth, Poole, Blackpool, Leeds and Glasgow also covered. Many London and Leicester groups dance every night of Navratri. See Garba 2026 UK, Garba 2026 London and Garba 2026 Leicester, plus the UK Navratri city by city guide.

Australia and New Zealand

About 30 upcoming listings: around 25 in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra) and a handful in Auckland and Wellington. Garba here falls in the southern spring, so some nights are outdoors. See Garba 2026 Australia and New Zealand, Garba 2026 Melbourne and Garba 2026 Sydney, and the Sharadiya Navratri 2026 Australia guide.

Europe

About 25 upcoming listings in some 22 towns and cities across seven countries: Germany (Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart areas), the Netherlands (Amsterdam area, Utrecht, Veldhoven), Switzerland (Zurich area, Geneva, Zug, Lausanne area), Ireland (Dublin), France (Paris area), Belgium (Brussels) and Sweden (Stockholm). Many European events are afternoon-to-evening gatherings on the two Navratri weekends. See Garba 2026 Europe and Garba 2026 Germany, and the Sharadiya Navratri 2026 Europe guide.

Singapore

Four upcoming listings covering more than a dozen evenings, including a multi-night Dandiya Night, the Singapore Gujarati Society's Navratri and community evenings in Tampines. Singapore's Navaratri is also strongly South Indian, with Golu and temple Navarathri. See Garba 2026 Singapore and Navratri 2026 Singapore.

India

About 85 upcoming listings in some 25 cities. Gujarat accounts for over a third, led by Ahmedabad, with Gandhinagar, Surat and Vadodara, where Garba grounds run every night from 11 October. Outside Gujarat, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Kolkata, Udaipur and Jaipur all have listings, mostly on the weekend of 16 to 18 October. See Garba 2026 India and the city pages for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, plus the Navratri 2026 Gujarat Garba guide.

Garba near you: if your city is not listed

Many Garba nights, especially in smaller towns, are announced only to members or on social media and never reach a ticketing site. To find one near you:

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  • Hindu temples: many hold Navratri puja followed by Garba or raas in their own hall, often free or donation-based. Check the temple's website or notice board.
  • Gujarati Samaj and community associations: Gujarati Samaj, Patel, Lohana and other community associations usually announce Navratri on their own websites and social pages a few weeks ahead.
  • Student societies: Hindu and Indian student societies at universities often hold a Garba or Dandiya night.
  • Indian missions: some Indian embassy and consulate community calendars mention local Navratri events.
  • Ask locally: local WhatsApp and Facebook groups are often the quickest way to hear about a small Garba evening.

What Garba means

Garba is a circular dance offered to the Goddess, Ma Amba or Durga, during the nine nights of Navratri. The name is linked to garbha, the womb, and to the garbo, a clay pot pierced with holes and lit with a lamp, placed at the centre of the circle or beside an image of Mataji. As traditionally understood, the lamp is the Divine light within every life, and the dancers moving around it mirror the cycle of time turning around the unchanging Goddess. That is why a Garba night, whether in a village square, a temple hall or a city arena, usually begins and ends with an aarti.

Read the full explanation in Garba meaning and spiritual significance, and for the prayers many families say before they step into the circle, see Navratri mantras before Garba: Durga and Amba prayers.

Garba and Dandiya: what is the difference?

Garba is danced with claps, turns and flowing steps in concentric circles, and is devotional at its root. Dandiya Raas is danced with pairs of decorated sticks, in pairs or facing lines, and is linked to the raas of Krishna with the gopis of Vrindavan. At most Navratri nights you will see both: Garba first, after the aarti, and Dandiya later. Our guide to Garba vs Dandiya Raas explains the steps, music and history of each.

From Gujarat to the world

Garba grew from village and temple courtyards in Gujarat, where women danced around the garbo on each night of Navratri. Over generations it moved into city streets and large grounds, and then travelled with Gujarati families to East Africa, Britain, North America, Australia and beyond. Today the same nine nights are danced in community halls in Leicester and New Jersey, sports arenas in Toronto and Glasgow, and open-air grounds in Ahmedabad. The story is told in the history of Garba from Gujarat to the world, and how different communities keep Navratri abroad is covered in our guides for the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.

What to wear and first-timer tips

  • Dress: chaniya choli for women and kediyu or a bright kurta for men are traditional, but any modest, comfortable outfit is welcome. See the Garba dress guide: chaniya choli, kediyu and jewellery. Many dancers follow the Navratri colour of the day.
  • Etiquette: bow to Mataji when you arrive, stand quietly for the aarti, do not cut through the centre of the circle, and keep the evening alcohol-free.
  • Beginners: join the outer, slower circle and copy the dancers in front of you. Our Garba for beginners guide explains the basic steps.
  • Kids: look for family or kids' sessions, agree a meeting point, and plan water breaks.
  • Weather: October evenings are cold in Europe, Canada and the northern USA, so bring a coat for the journey; in Australia some nights are outdoors.
  • Travel and parking: check the venue's page for parking and public transport, and plan for a late finish.
  • Tickets: popular nights sell out. Buy only through the organiser's own page or its official ticket link.

Women observing Navratri abroad may also find Navratri 2026 for Indian women abroad useful.

How we list events

Every event on our country and city pages comes from a page we opened ourselves: the organiser's own website or social page, a temple or venue site, or an official ticketing page. A few events seen only on a third-party listing are included and clearly marked. We do not publish ticket prices or performers, and we do not rank events.

  • Confirmed: the date and venue appear on the organiser's own page or its official ticket page.
  • Announced: the organiser has announced the event, but some details, such as the venue, were not yet published.
  • Listed — confirm with organiser: we saw the event only on a third-party or news listing, or the page left something unclear, so please verify it directly.

Events that took place before 7 October 2026 are either omitted or shown as already held. Navratri dates follow Drik Panchang for India; local puja timings abroad are on our city-by-city Navratri pages, not converted from Indian times.

Details change — always confirm date, venue and tickets on the organiser's official page before you travel. Listings are for information; HinduTone is not affiliated with organisers.

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Frequently asked questions

Where can I find Garba near me in 2026?

Start with your country page: USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Singapore or India, each linked above, with city pages for New Jersey, New York, Boston, the Bay Area, Texas, Chicago, Toronto and the GTA, Brampton, London, Leicester, Melbourne, Sydney, Germany and the main Indian cities. If your town is not listed, check your nearest Hindu temple and your local Gujarati Samaj or community association, which usually announce Navratri Garba on their own websites and social pages.

When is Garba in 2026?

Navratri 2026 runs from Sunday 11 to Monday 19 October (Drik Panchang, India), and Dussehra is on Tuesday 20 October. In India, Garba grounds dance every night of Navratri. Abroad, most Garba falls on the weekends of 9 to 11 October and 16 to 18 October, with many Sharad Purnima and post-Navratri nights on 23 to 25 October.

Is Garba only for Gujaratis?

No. Garba comes from Gujarat, but the circle is open to everyone who comes with respect for the Goddess. Families from every Indian region, and many friends from other backgrounds, join Garba nights around the world. Start in the outer circle, follow the steps of the dancers around you and stand quietly for the aarti.

What should I wear to Garba?

Women traditionally wear a chaniya choli and men a kediyu or a bright kurta, but any modest, comfortable outfit is welcome. Wear shoes or go barefoot as the venue allows, and check whether the event sets a dress theme. Our Garba dress guide covers outfits, jewellery and what to bring.

What is the difference between Garba and Dandiya?

Garba is danced with hand claps and turning steps in circles around the garbo lamp or an image of the Goddess. Dandiya Raas is danced in pairs or lines with decorated sticks, linked to the raas of Krishna. Most Navratri nights include both: Garba first, Dandiya later in the evening.

Why is Garba danced during Navratri?

Navratri is the nine nights of the Goddess, and Garba is a dance of devotion to her. Dancers circle the garbo, a clay pot with a lamp inside, which is traditionally understood as the Divine light present in every life. That is why a Garba night usually begins with an aarti to Ma Amba.

Editor's note (7 October 2026)

We compiled the Garba 2026 guides on 7 October 2026 from organiser websites, temple and venue pages and official ticket pages. The counts on this page are approximate and include only listings dated on or after 7 October 2026. Navratri dates follow Drik Panchang for India. Event details are set by the organisers and can change; we will update this page and the country pages as more Garba nights are announced. Organisers who want to correct or add an event can contact HinduTone.