This is the most important and biggest festival in Pune. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August - September). People buy Ganesh images to keep in their houses as a divine guest for five to ten days. The image is then taken out ceremoniously and immersed to the river, sea or well. It is called Visarjan. Keeping the idol after this day is considered inauspicious.

Puja can be simply performed with family members within the household or by a priest. Modak is special cuisine for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Aarti is performed morning and evening (dusk, or at the hour when artificial lamps are lighted in the house) a long as the Ganesh idol is at home.

Huge Ganesh idols are worshipped at nicely decorated pandals, also known as Dekhavas for 8 to 10 days. These Dekhavas are organized by the Mandals, worked collectively for the entire locality. Various Mandals shouting the slogans of Ganpati Bapa Morya take out huge processions during the first day and the day of immersion of the idols throughout the city. People from the city and nearby towns and districts, come in numbers to witness the celebrations of Ganesh festival celebrations. Huge money in terms of crores is spent on decorations of the pandals.

Celebrated as the birthday of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra on 19th February, Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti happens to be a festival that is rejoiced with magnificence. Shivaji was born to Jijabai and Shahaji Bhonsle, on 19th February, 1627.

He was named Shivaji after local Goddess Shivai. Being the creator of Marathas, he was influential in bringing together various Maratha chiefs of Mayal, Konkan and Desh regions. This hero was not only successful in bringing the people of Pune city together but united India as a nation too.

Therefore, Shivaji Jayanti is celebrated on a royal note in Pune with several processions being taken out where people dress themselves up as Shivaji and his associates, various colourful events are organised to remember the achievements of this great Maratha ruler.

One of the biggest annual festivals in Kolhapur, the Rankala Mahotsav brings forth the vibrant and lively Kolhapuri way of life. This five-day festival is an absolute cultural delight that attracts a large number of revellers amidst the extravagant display of Kolhapuri traditions and culture. Pulsating musical concerts by renowned Indian and Marathi artists, electrifying stage performances, gastronomical treats, exhibitions, competitions and other engaging activities make this event quite a sight to behold.

The word Deepotsav is a combination of ‘deep’ meaning lights or diyas and ‘utsav’ meaning a celebration or a festival. For the past 20 years, the municipal corporation of Pune has been organising Deepotsav at Sarasbaug on the day of Padwa . The lawns are lined with thousands of diyas and rangolis drawn with flower petals making the garden look charming than ever! People get all decked up and start coming in from around 3.30 in the morning and the garden gets filled with crowds in no time. It’s always better to get there early, as finding a space to park your bikes is a real task.

Along with the mesmerising views of the thousands of lit up diyas, the sky is also adorned with a bunch of Chinese lanterns. As people come together, the sky is blanketed with gleaming Chinese lanterns swept up by the winds. Don’t have the lanterns? Worry not, the lanterns are sold in the gardens by a few sellers roaming here and there. Another thing to note is that there’s no food or water available inside the garden during this time, but you can always head to the khau galli in the adjacent lane of Sarasbaug for a hearty breakfast once the Deepotsav’s over..