Bikaner Camel Festival 2024 – Important Things to Know

Rajasthan is a wonderland, a place that steals your heart with its charming culture, royal palaces, mesmerising forts, serene lakes, and colourful festivals. They say that whoever visits Rajasthan leaves a part of them behind and takes a part of the city with them. While you don't need any special reason to visit Rajasthan, the Bikaner Camel Festival is a perfect excuse to escape to the land of the royals and have a gala time. 

About Bikaner City and the Camel Festival

Located in the heart of Rajasthan, Bikaner is a captivating city known for its stunning monuments, vibrant culture, sacred temples and serene landscape. Another thing that makes this city famous worldwide is the Bikaner Camel Festival, or Bikaner Festival, as the locals call it.  

This three-day festival is one-of-a-kind in the world, held in a small village in Bikaner called Ladera. The Bikaner Camel 2024 is held from 13 to 15 January. The festival is an annual affair in the city, attracting thousands of tourists from all over India and overseas. 

The festival celebrates Camels, the ship of the desert. The camel owners from all over Rajasthan and nearby states bring their Camels to the festival, and it gives the tourists a chance to witness these magnificent beasts from closer quarters and feel their strength and beauty. 

Highlights of Camel Festival, Bikaner

Every year, several activities and fun events take place at the Camel Festival Bikaner, and 2024 will be no different. In fact, this year promises to offer lots of interesting and unique activities and events that will surely be fun for the visitors. So, if you are planning to visit this festival, brace yourself to have a gala time!

Among the various events or activities scheduled this year, let us look at some of the best ones that you can look forward to.  

• Camel Fur Cutting Competition 

One of the major highlights at the Bikaner Camel Festival 2024 is the fur-cutting competition. The camel traders and owners from all over the state participate in huge numbers. This unique event involves cutting the camel's natural fur and creating an intriguing and attractive design and patterns. 

You would be surely astonished to see the creativity and artistic brilliance of the traders. The patterns and design narrate a unique story, and it is something you cannot miss! 

• Camel Race 

It is one of the oldest traditions of the Bikaner festival. The camels and riders undergo rigorous training throughout the year for this big day! The event has been a huge success, attracting more and more participants and supporters every year. 

The sight of camels lining up to win the race for their owner is a wonderful sight! The races are thrilling and spectacular. There are many other camel games that you can see at the festival. 

• Camel Beauty Pageant 

Yes, you heard it right! The camel beauty pageant is a massive crowd puller, and people come here to see the camels beautifully decorated and adorned in heritage jewellery and traditional Rajasthani clothing for competition. Right from the neck to the feet, the camels are decorated to make them look as pretty as possible and earn the title of most beautiful camel. 

The owners take immense pride in their camel and leave no stone unturned in preparing them for the beauty pageant. The event is not just about winning or losing but also about showcasing the love for this beautiful animal. As these camels walk around with grace and elegance, the tinkling of the jewellery creates a beautiful vibe around.  

• Camel Dance 

After seeing the camels race and participating in a beauty contest, you may wonder what could be more interesting and intriguing. Well, wait until you see the Camel dance competition. The owners train their camels to dance to a specific beat, and as soon as they hear that sound, they move as trained with immaculate precision. 

The graceful footsteps and how they move around are a sight to behold! The glamorous jewellery and the clothing these beasts wear only add to the charm of the dance and make it look majestic!

Other Events at Bikaner Camel Festival 

Yes, the star attraction at the Bikaner Festival is the Camels, but during the three-day event, you get to see a lot of other activities that reflect the vibrant Rajasthani culture and its rich heritage. 

These events are stunning, and you must not miss them for anything. Some of the best events lined up for the 2024 Camel Festival Bikaner include: 

• Rajasthani Folk Dance 

Rajasthani folk dances and songs are world-famous as they weave a story covering the different aspects of the local cultural heritage. While the Folk dance movies are simply awe-inspiring, the colourful clothing the dancers wear is a cynosure to the eye! The mesmerising performances you see at the Camel Festival will surely remain etched in your memory for long! 

• Culinary Extravaganza 

A cultural festival is incomplete without showcasing the local culinary specialities. At Bikaner Camel Festival 2024, you can try the most traditional Rajasthani food at the different food stalls selling a variety of dishes. 

Make sure to try some of the local delicacies like Bikaner bhujia, daal baati churma, ghewar, gatte ki sabzi, bajra roti, etc.  

• Shopping paradise 

The Bikaner festival is just as much famous for its shopping experience as the camel games. During the festival, many artisans from all over the state come here to showcase and sell their brilliant artworks and creations. 

As a tourist, you would be delighted to see the stunning display of colourful items. From jewellery to clothing and decorative items, you can find several things. You can shop whatever you want, but we recommend taking home some camel-themed souvenirs to remind you of this fantastic festival.  

• Competition for the locals 

While you may love cheering for the camels during the race and the beauty pageant, you can support the locals by participating in different sports and other fun events. One of the most interesting events is the pot race for women. 

Watching the women walk with supreme grace while holding the pot over their heads is great fun. Their precise and careful foot movement is just too good to be true!

Best Place to Visit in Bikaner

When you visit the Camel Festival Bikaner, you bet you are going to have loads of fun. But, since you travel all the way from your hometown to Bikaner in Rajasthan, you must use the opportunity to explore the beautiful places around you. 

There are too many amazing places to visit in Bikaner, each one more alluring than the other. If you are a first-time visitor, deciding the best places can be overwhelming. But, there are some places that you must definitely visit. These places are discussed below.   

• Junagarh Fort

When you are in any part of Rajasthan, you cannot possibly be too far away from a historical fort, palace, or haveli. One such magnificent fort that is considered the pride of Bikaner is the Junagarh Fort. 

An architectural masterpiece, the fort looks majestic from the outside, and as you venture in and explore the different sections and the royal rooms, you will be transported back in time. The grandiosity of the fort is simply awe-inspiring. 

Pay close attention to the intricate carvings and artwork on the walls, pillars and ceilings. They are a testament to the artistic brilliance of local artists and the supreme taste in arts and aesthetics of the royal families that thrived here.  

• Rampuria Haveli 

Another iconic monument in Bikaner, the Rampuria Haveli, is known for its architectural beauty and is an integral part of the local cultural heritage. The rustic-looking exteriors make it a historical wonder. While the haveli is as pretty as a picture from the outside, brace yourself to be sent into a trance by the stunning paintings and murals inside.  

• Shree Karni Mata Temple 

Talking about the best places to visit in Bikaner, you cannot leave out this unique temple. The temple, dedicated to Goddess Karni Mata, is renowned worldwide due to the existence of more than 2500 rats that are considered divine inside the temple premises. 

Among all the black rats, there are a few white rats, and spotting them is considered to be a lucky sign. Do visit this temple to seek the blessing of the Goddess and for an experience of a lifetime.  

• Seth Bhandasar Jain Temple 

One of the popular tourist spots in Bikaner and an important place of worship for the locals, this spectacular temple is the epitome of beauty. The mirror work you see inside the temple depicts its opulence. Also, as you soak in the serene vibe, admire the beauty of the traditional paintings adorning the walls and narrating age-old stories. 

So, with the Camel Festival 2024 just around the corner, ensure that you start planning the trip to this wonderland called Bikaner as soon as possible. Get your bookings done fast, and although there are many resorts in Bikaner, book your sport early as they tend to get filled up fast during the festival.