Winter Carnival in Manali

Manali has a different charm during winters. The snow-clad mountains, thick snow on the road, and chilly weather make it an ideal time for celebration. Manali organizes its most popular festival of the year during this season and this festival is the “Winter Carnival”. The Mall and its surrounding areas have this festival organized. Participants from all over India gather here to participate in this renowned and the most-waited carnival of Manali. Read more and get to know about Winter Carnival of Manali.

About Winter Carnival

Winter Carnival of Manali is the festival when numerous cultural and sports events are organized with participants from all over the country. The carnival is held during the month of January. In this carnival, individuals and groups can participate. Initially the carnival had mainly the winter sports events organized but with time, cultural events have been included and they have become important part of this Winter Carnival in Manali. The starting of Winter Carnival was in 1977. The then Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Y. S. Parmar inaugurated the carnival. The carnival was the brainchild of the founder of Mountaineering Institute of Manali, Shri Harnam Singh. Initially the carnival was thought as the occasion when skiing in the Solang Valley could be promoted at the national level.



During the period 1985-1992, Manali Kala Kendra, a club in Manali had organized the Winter Carnival. In the year 1993, the club along with the Trios Mumbai organized this carnival and cultural events became important part of it. In the year 1999, the carnival gained the status of a function of state level and then it became an important part of the cultural calendar of the state. 

In the year 2008, the carnival reached to a different height as cultural and skiing competitions were held simultaneously during the carnival. The carnival is going to organized international skiing events in the coming years and the fame of this carnival will be there all around the world.

Participating in the Carnival

The minimum age for participation is 16 years and the maximum age for participation is 35 years. The competitions of Winter Carnival Manali are open to schools, youth clubs, organizations of India and Colleges. Each team has to pay for participating and so are the individuals. The participation fee for the individuals is less than that of the teams. The charges of individuals are Rs. 500 while for the teams it is Rs. 1500.



The participants have to get the prospectus in person or by mail, fill it up and along with the participation fee must be sent to the organizers. Each team must participate in minimum 6 events. All teams must participate in the Carnival Parade and the Folk Dance event.  Entries are allowed on the basis of first come first serve.

Food and Lodging near the Carnival

Participants are provided with food coupons so that they can have food from the hotels or dhabas that are recognized by the carnival organizers. Lodging of the participants is arranged in different rest houses, hotels and guest houses. Participants have to share the rooms while team in-charges are given separate rooms. The teams arriving at Manali for the carnival have to get in touch with the Central Control Room of Tourism Development Office of the District, Ram Bagh near the Mall so that proper allotment of staying places can be done.

Events in the Carnival

Each of the events has cash prizes with varying amount. Here is the list of the competitions that are organized during the carnival.

• Carnival Parade
• Folk Dance Competition
• Modern Dance Competition- Group and Solo
• Winter Queen Contest
• Classical Dance- Group and Solo
• Nukkad Natak (Street Play)
• Street Dance
• Voice of Winter Carnival
• Talent Show
• Folk Song
  
  

Altogether Winter Carnival of Manali is a power packed event and you can hardly miss it when tripping in Manali.

Contact person for the carnival
Executive Officer
Manali
Phone No.: 01902 252 351 / 01902 252 363

Winter Carnival in Manali is among those few events where amalgamation of culture and sports have happened and cultural and sports events have become complementary to each other.