Pune's Winter Festival Season 2026–27: Sawai, Book Festival, PIFF and More

From the first Sunday of December to the end of January, Pune runs the densest stretch of its cultural year: a marathon, one of the country’s largest book fairs, the best-known festival in Hindustani classical music, a fair of rural Maharashtra, an international film festival and, this season only, the centenary edition of the Marathi literary conference. Some dates are fixed and some are still awaited. This guide sets out what is confirmed as of 12 October 2026, what is not, and how to plan around both. For everything else happening in a given week, see this week’s events.

The season at a glance

Event	Dates	Status in mid-October 2026	Venue
Pune International Marathon (40th)	Sun, 6 Dec 2026	On the organisers’ website	Baburao Sanas Ground, Swargate
KISAN agriculture show (34th)	9–13 Dec 2026	On the organisers’ website	PIECC, Moshi
Pune Book Festival	12–20 Dec 2026	Announced at the close of the 2025 edition	Fergusson College ground
Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav (72nd)	December 2026	Dates not yet announced	Maharashtriya Mandal Krida Sankul, Mukundnagar
Bhimthadi Jatra	Late December 2026	Dates not yet announced	Agriculture College ground, Shivajinagar
Christmas in Camp	24–25 Dec 2026	Fixed	MG Road and Camp churches
New Year’s Eve	Thu, 31 Dec 2026	Fixed	Citywide
Pune International Film Festival (25th)	14–21 Jan 2027	Listed in the call for entries	Venues to be confirmed
Vasantotsav	January 2027	Dates not yet announced	To be confirmed
100th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan	28–31 Jan 2027	Approved by the organising body	Savitribai Phule Pune University

Pune International Marathon: Sunday 6 December

The season opens with running shoes. The 40th Pune International Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 6 December 2026 at the Baburao Sanas Ground beside Nehru Stadium, according to the organisers’ website. First run in 1983, it is one of India’s oldest city marathons. Race listings show a full marathon, a half marathon, 10 km and 5 km runs and a shorter category, and recent editions have sent the long races off in the small hours, around 3 am. Confirm the categories, start times and bib-collection dates on the official site before you register. Spectators will find the Swargate and Sarasbaug area regulated for traffic on race morning. Our marathons page lists other runs through the winter.

KISAN: 9 to 13 December

KISAN, which calls itself India’s largest agriculture exhibition, holds its 34th edition from 9 to 13 December 2026 at the Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre at Moshi, open 9 am to 5 pm. The organisers expect more than 600 exhibitors and 1.5 lakh visitors across farm machinery, water management, inputs, tools and agri-enterprise. It is a trade show for farmers first, but it is also an interesting day out for anyone curious about how food is grown. Moshi is in Pimpri-Chinchwad, well north of the city, with no metro: plan a cab or bus from the Purple Line’s Nashik Phata (Bhosari) station.

Pune Book Festival: 12 to 20 December

The National Book Trust’s Pune Book Festival returns to the Fergusson College ground from 12 to 20 December 2026, the dates announced when the 2025 edition closed. That edition, from 13 to 21 December 2025, reported 12.5 lakh visitors, more than 60 per cent of them young readers, about 30 lakh books sold and a turnover above ₹50 crore, and set three Guinness World Records along the way. Expect rows of publishers’ stalls in Marathi, Hindi, English and other languages, author interactions and book signings.

Go on a weekday morning. The ground is about a kilometre from Deccan Gymkhana and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan stations on the Aqua Line, and FC Road has almost no parking while the festival is on. More on our book festival page.

Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav: December, dates awaited

This is the one that music lovers across India plan a trip around, and the one date we cannot give you yet. The organisers, the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, had not announced the 2026 schedule when we checked in mid-October.

What the record shows: the 71st edition ran from Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14 December 2025, the 70th from 18 to 22 December 2024 and the 69th from 13 to 17 December 2023, all at the Maharashtriya Mandal Krida Sankul in Mukundnagar. If that Wednesday-to-Sunday pattern holds, the candidates are 9 to 13 or 16 to 20 December 2026. That is our inference, not an announcement, so do not book travel on it.

The festival began in 1953, when Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and the Mandal organised a concert in memory of his guru, Sawai Gandharva; it took Joshi’s name as well after his death in 2011. Each day brings several vocal and instrumental recitals in a large pandal with floor seating in front and chairs behind, sessions are normally required to end by 10 pm, and the festival closes with a recording of Sawai Gandharva singing a Bhairavi thumri. For the 2025 festival, tickets went on sale on 1 December at outlets across Pune. We will post the 2026 dates on our Sawai Gandharva page as soon as they are out.

Bhimthadi Jatra: late December

Bhimthadi Jatra brings rural Maharashtra to the Agriculture College ground at Sinchan Nagar. The 2025 fair ran from 20 to 25 December, open 10 am to 10 pm, with 325 stalls run by women entrepreneurs and self-help groups from 18 districts of Maharashtra and 12 other states, selling regional food, handloom, crafts and organic produce, with folk performances through the day. The 2024 fair ran on the same dates and the 2023 fair from 21 to 25 December. The 2026 dates had not been announced in mid-October. Go on a weekday, and go hungry.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday. Camp is the centre of it: MG Road and East Street are lit up, and in 2025 the traffic police closed MG Road to vehicles from 7 pm on 24 and 25 December. See our Christmas page. New Year’s Eve falls on a Thursday; parties are announced from early December and are listed on the New Year’s Eve page, with the practical side covered in our New Year’s Eve guide.

Pune International Film Festival: 14 to 21 January 2027

The 25th PIFF is listed for 14 to 21 January 2027 by international festival directories and the festival’s own call for entries, which accepts film submissions until 31 October 2026. Organised by the Pune Film Foundation with the Government of Maharashtra since 2002, it runs a World Competition and a Marathi Competition alongside global cinema, a country focus and retrospectives. In January 2026 the venues were PVR ICON at The Pavillion mall, E-Square and the National Film Archive of India. Entry is by delegate registration, and seats at each screening are first come, first served. Details will be on our PIFF page.

Vasantotsav: January, dates awaited

Vasantotsav is the music festival held in memory of the vocalist Dr Vasantrao Deshpande by the foundation that bears his name, mixing classical, semi-classical and popular music over three evenings. Its 18th edition ran from 17 to 19 January 2025 at Suryakant Kakade Farms in Kothrud. We could not confirm dates or a venue for a 2027 edition.

The 100th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan: 28 to 31 January 2027

The season ends with a once-in-a-century event. The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal has approved 28 to 31 January 2027 for the 100th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the annual conference of Marathi literature, to be held on the Savitribai Phule Pune University campus, according to a report in June 2026. The Mahamandal chose the university over other sites for its space and parking. In the run-up, 99 literary events are being held in towns across Maharashtra that have hosted earlier editions. The sammelan combines a book exhibition, readings, kavi sammelans and debates, and draws writers and readers from across the state. Check the programme and registration details as January approaches.

Planning notes

• Weather. December and January are dry, with mild days and nights that commonly drop to 10 to 12 degrees. Sawai’s pandal, the book festival ground and Bhimthadi are all open-air, so carry a jacket or shawl in the evening.
• Transport. Swargate (Purple Line) serves the marathon and, by a short auto ride, Mukundnagar. Deccan Gymkhana and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan (Aqua Line) serve Fergusson College. Shivaji Nagar (Purple Line) is the nearest station to the Agriculture College ground. Moshi and the university campus need a cab or bus.
• Clashes. The book festival and KISAN overlap on 12 and 13 December, and Sawai is likely to fall inside or next to the book festival’s run. If you are visiting for Sawai, the same trip can cover both.
• Where to stay. For Sawai and the marathon, the Swargate, Deccan and Shivajinagar areas keep you close. Book early for festival week.
• What moved. NH7 Weekender, long a December fixture in Pune, was held in March in 2026, and Pune Comic Con has also been a March event.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main events in Pune in December 2026?

The 40th Pune International Marathon on Sunday 6 December, the KISAN agriculture show from 9 to 13 December, the Pune Book Festival from 12 to 20 December, the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav (dates awaited), Bhimthadi Jatra in late December, and Christmas and New Year's Eve.

When is Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav 2026?

The dates had not been announced when we checked in mid-October 2026. The festival is held in December at the Maharashtriya Mandal Krida Sankul in Mukundnagar; the last three editions ran from Wednesday to Sunday in the second or third week of the month.

When is the Pune Book Festival 2026?

It was announced for 12 to 20 December 2026 at the Fergusson College ground when the 2025 edition closed. Confirm nearer the time.

When is PIFF 2027?

The 25th Pune International Film Festival is listed for 14 to 21 January 2027 by festival directories and its call for entries.

When and where is the 100th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan?

The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal has approved 28 to 31 January 2027 at Savitribai Phule Pune University for the centenary edition, according to a June 2026 report.

How cold does Pune get in December and January?

Days are mild and dry, and nights commonly fall to around 10 to 12 degrees. Carry a jacket or shawl for open-air evening events.

Sources checked

• www.marathonpune.com/
• 2026.kisan.in/
• www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2025/12/22/bes25-mh-pune-book-festiva
• www.punekarnews.in/pune-71st-sawai-gandharva-bhimsen-mahotsav-to-be-held-from-
• www.mypunepulse.com/pune-69th-sawai-gandharva-bhimsen-mahotsav-dates-announced/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawai_Gandharva_Bhimsen_Festival
• www.mypunepulse.com/?p=180890
• www.mypunepulse.com/?p=122147
• www.punekarnews.in/?p=224907
• asianfilmfestivals.com/2026/06/17/pune-international-film-festival-call-for-entry-
• www.piffindia.com/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasantotsav
• www.mypunepulse.com/?p=127350
• www.thebridgechronicle.com/amp/story/pune/pune-to-host-100th-akhil-bharatiya-marathi-s
• www.punemetrorail.org/

Researched and written by the pune2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.