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Bihu in Guwahati, When It Is, What Happens & Travelling During It

By Hotel Shiny Grand · Published 11 July 2026

Rongali (Bohag) Bihu, Assam's biggest festival, falls in mid-April, in 2026 the main days land around 14–15 April, marking the Assamese New Year and the start of the sowing season. Guwahati celebrates for the better part of a week with open-air Bihu functions, dance performances, traditional games and serious feasting.

For a traveller it is one of the best possible windows to see Assam at its warmest, literally and culturally, but it needs a little planning, because transport tightens and some businesses shut on the peak days. Here is how it works on the ground.

When is Bihu, and which Bihu are we talking about?

Assam actually celebrates three Bihus, tied to the farming calendar:

• Rongali or Bohag Bihu (mid-April, ~14–15 April 2026): the New Year festival and the big one, seven days of observances including Goru Bihu (dedicated to cattle) and Manuh Bihu (for people), with dance, music and new clothes.
• Kati or Kongali Bihu (mid-October): a quieter, more austere observance with lamps lit in paddy fields.
• Magh or Bhogali Bihu (mid-January): the harvest feast, bonfires (meji), community feasting and pithas by the plateful.

When people say "come for Bihu", they almost always mean Rongali in April. It coincides with pleasant pre-monsoon weather, days around 28–32°C, and with similar new-year festivals across India.

What actually happens in Guwahati during Rongali Bihu?

The city turns into a stage. Cultural committees host Bihu functions at Latasil Field, Judges Field and neighbourhood grounds across Guwahati, typically running from evening well past midnight, with Bihu dance troupes, dhol and pepa players, and headline Assamese singers. Entry to most functions is free or nominal.

Beyond the stages, look for:

• Husori, troupes of dancers and singers visiting homes and neighbourhoods with blessings.
• Goru Bihu on the first day, when cattle are bathed and honoured, best seen in villages just outside the city.
• Bihu delicacies everywhere: pitha (rice cakes), laru (sesame and coconut sweets), doi-chira (curd and flattened rice) and jolpan spreads. Our Assamese food guide covers what to hunt down.

Markets like Fancy Bazar and Beltola buzz in the run-up as the city shops for gamosas, the red-and-white woven cloth that is Bihu's defining gift.

What closes, and how does travel change during Bihu?

On the two or three core days (roughly 14–16 April), expect government offices, banks and many shops to close, and restaurants to run limited hours, though hotels operate normally. The practical friction points for travellers:

• Transport demand spikes. Flights into LGBI Airport, trains and long-distance buses fill up as Assamese working elsewhere come home. Book a couple of weeks out.
• Taxis get scarce on festival evenings. App cabs surge around function venues late at night; a pre-arranged hotel car is far more dependable.
• Intercity roads stay open, a Bihu-week trip to Shillong or Kaziranga works fine, and April is prime season for both.

At Hotel Shiny Grand we keep the front desk and kitchen running 24 hours through the festival, and can line up a car and driver for function evenings so you are not gambling on a surge-priced cab at 1 am.

Is Bihu week a good time to tour the rest of Assam?

Excellent, with one caveat. Mid-April is the tail end of the dry season: Kaziranga National Park is still open (it typically closes for the monsoon from around May), Pobitora is at its best, and Meghalaya's roads are dry before the June rains. The caveat is that everyone else has the same idea, Assamese families travel heavily during the holidays, so book safaris and hill stays early.

A week built around Bihu could look like: two days in Guwahati for the festival itself, a two-day Kaziranga run for the rhinos, and a Shillong overnight on the way back. We arrange the full loop, car, driver and bookings, from our desk at the airport end of the city.

How should a visitor behave at a Bihu function?

Bihu is welcoming and unfussy, you will likely be handed a gamosa and pulled toward the food. A few notes help:

• Accept the gamosa with both hands; it is a gesture of respect, and wearing it around your neck is entirely appropriate.
• Dress modestly at family and neighbourhood events; festival stages are casual.
• Photography is welcome at public functions, but ask before photographing performers up close or inside homes during Husori.
• Try the pitha even if you are full. Refusing food twice is practically impossible in Assam.

Read next: What to Eat in Guwahati, An Assamese Food Guide