We can understand your pain when in 2016 too many festivals coincided with the weekends. Worry no more as the New Year gets you more reasons to plan your holidays. 2017 is a great year packed with three- and four-day weekends. We get you this list.

JANUARY offerings

Thu, 26 Jan: Republic Day
Fri, 27 Jan: Take leave and you have the entire weekend

Take the weekend off and plan a four-day trip to a skiing destination to Gulmarg, Manali, Fagu or Auli for the upcoming long weekend and learn the great sport.

FEBRUARY bonanza

Fri, 24 Feb: Mahashivratri

Think about a short trip to Agra for Taj Mahotsav (18–27 Feb) and then Goa for the Goa Carnival (25–28 Feb)

MARCH fiesta

Sat, 11 Mar
Sun, 12 Mar
Mon, 13 Mar: Holi

Pack your bags and head off to Brindavan and Mathura for Holi or Chikmaglur to catch the white coffee flowers in bloom
25 Mar
Sun, 26 Mar
Mon, 27 Mar: Take leave
Tue, 28 Mar: Gudi Padva

Go white-water rafting in Rishikesh or Munnar for its pristine landscape and tea gardens

APRIL carnival

Sat, 1 Apr
Sun, 2 Apr
Mon, 3 Apr: Take leave
Tue, 4 Apr: Ram Navami

Travel to Srinagar for tulips

Thu, 13 Apr: Baisakhi
Fri, 14 Apr: Dr Ambedkar Jayanti, Good Friday
Sat, 15 Apr
Sun, 16 Apr: Easter

Go to Amritsar for Baisakhi (14 Apr) and Mahabaleshwar for the Mapro Strawberry Festival (Easter weekend)

MAY boon

Sat, 29 Apr
Sun, 30 Apr
Mon, 1 May: May Day

Mashobra, Gulmarg or Shoghi to beat the heat; Bandhavgarh or Ranthambore to spot the big cat

JUNE blessings

Sat, 24 Jun
Sun, 25 Jun
Mon, 26 Jun: Ramzan Eid

Witness the festivities of Hyderabad or Lucknow

Happy AUGUST

Sat, 12 Aug
Sun, 13 Aug
Mon, 14 Aug: Janmashtami
Tue, 15 Aug: Independence Day
Wed, 16 Aug: Take leave
Thu, 17 Aug: Parsi New Year
Fri, 18 Aug: Take leave
Sat, 19 Aug
Sun, 20 Aug

Go to the evergreen beaches of Goa for adventure and Scuba diving; Bhardartara for the monsoon getaway
Fri, 25 Aug: Ganesh Chaturthi
Sat, 26 Aug
Sun, 27 Aug

Witness the happy fervour of Pune for Ganesh Chaturthi; Coonoor for cheese-making at Acres Wild

OCTOBER joys

Sun, 1 Oct
Mon, 2 Oct: Gandhi Jayanti

Try different beer in Munich during Oktoberfest (16 Sep–3 Oct); Bhutan for the Thimphu Tshechu festival (30 Sep–2 Oct), Periyar for wildlife
Sat, 14 Oct
Sun, 15 Oct
Mon, 16 Oct: Dhanteras or take leave
Tue, 17 Oct: Naraka Chaturdashi or take leave
Wed, 18 Oct: Diwali
Thu, 19 Oct: Balipratipada
Fri, 20 Oct: Bhaiduj
Sat, 21 Oct
Sun, 22 Oct

Rajasthan for Diwali; Bandhavgarh for wildlife season; Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh for the pleasant weather

DECEMBER gains

Fri, 1 Dec: Eid-e-Milad
Sat, 2 Dec
Sun, 3 Dec

See the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland; Bharatpur or Odisha for spotting migratory birds

Sat, 23 Dec
Sun, 24 Dec
Mon, 25 Dec: Christmas
Ooty or Coorg for the quintessential winter break

Megha Paul

Megha is a hoarder of books and indie magazines. She is either on a trip or planning one. And in between, she becomes a storyteller and writes travel stories, too. You will find her exploring the city for new coffee shops. She prides herself with awesome taste in music and dreams everyday of receiving her Hogwarts letter.