One of India's most spectacular Himalayan festivals is back in focus. The Chief Minister's Office of Himachal Pradesh posted on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, drawing attention to International Kullu Dussehra 2026 — the celebrated seven-day festival in the Kullu valley — anchored by the participation of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

A festival unlike any other Dussehra in India

While most of India wraps up Dussehra celebrations with the burning of Ravana's effigy on Vijayadashami, Kullu's Dussehra begins precisely when others end. That counter-intuitive rhythm is the point — the Kullu valley has its own calendar, its own mythology, and its own cast of hundreds of local deities (devtas) who descend in palanquins from surrounding hillside temples to pay homage to the presiding deity Raghunathji. The result is a procession of colour, drumbeats, and devotion that has no parallel on the subcontinent. The state government has backed the event as an official state festival since the 1970s, steadily internationalising it to attract cultural troupes and tourists from abroad. That dual mission — heritage preservation and tourism revenue — sits at the heart of every edition.

Sukhu's stake in the valley's showcase

For Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who has led the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh since December 2022, high-profile cultural events like Kullu Dussehra serve a practical political and economic purpose. Himachal Pradesh's economy is heavily tourism-dependent, and festivals of this scale pull visitors into the Kullu-Manali corridor during the post-monsoon shoulder season — exactly when hoteliers and local businesses need the footfall most. The Kullu valley's deity committees, local artisans, folk performers, and the broader tourism sector all have direct stakes in how well the state machinery organises and promotes the event each year.

India's festival-diplomacy playbook

Kullu Dussehra fits a well-worn pattern: Indian states repackaging historic regional festivals as international cultural events to project soft power and attract foreign exchange. Rajasthan's desert festivals, Kerala's Onam, and Assam's Bihu have all followed similar trajectories. Himachal Pradesh has leaned into this approach with Kullu Dussehra for decades, and the 'International' prefix in the festival's official name is a deliberate signal — foreign cultural troupes are invited, diplomatic goodwill is cultivated, and global media attention is courted. Specific programme details, invited international troupes, and any new budget allocations for the 2026 edition are yet to be officially released. For the Kullu valley, this is not just a festival — it is the economic and cultural heartbeat of the autumn season. Watch this space as the full programme takes shape.