Festival Guide · Manipur
Sangai Festival 2026: Manipur's Grand Showcase
By Beauty of Bharat — India travel guide, every place, every flavour.
Guides covering all 36 States and UTs, researched from official sources and checked at publish time. Corrections welcome — see About Beauty of Bharat.
The Sangai Festival is Manipur introducing itself: ten days each November when the state puts its dances, its sports, its handlooms, its food and its extraordinary landscape on one stage in Imphal. It is named for the sangai, the brow-antlered "dancing deer" found only on the floating islands of Loktak Lake — the state animal, and a symbol of everything rare and fragile that Manipur protects.
The 2026 edition runs from 21 to 30 November, the festival's fixed annual dates. For travellers, it is the single best-timed excuse to visit Manipur — the state's culture in concentrated form, with the lake, the war cemeteries and the world's only women's market all within the same trip.
Sangai Festival at a Glance
| Next edition | Saturday, 21 November – Monday, 30 November 2026 |
| Main venue | Hapta Kangjeibung and venues across Imphal |
| State | Manipur |
| Best for | Culture travellers exploring the Northeast, and anyone curious about Manipur |
The Story Behind Sangai Festival
The festival began in 2010 as the Manipur Tourism Festival and was renamed for the sangai, deliberately tying the state's tourism identity to conservation of its endemic deer, which survives only in Keibul Lamjao National Park — the world's only floating national park, a mass of vegetation (phumdi) on Loktak Lake. The festival is organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Manipur, as the state's flagship annual event.
What it showcases is unusually deep. Manipuri culture holds one of India's eight classical dance forms — the Manipuri Ras Leela, all swirling cylindrical skirts and restraint — and a parallel universe of indigenous sport: thang-ta martial arts, mukna wrestling, yubi lakpi (a form of rugby played with a greased coconut), and sagol kangjei, the Manipuri game from which modern polo descends. Add the handloom traditions of Moirang and the lake's fishing culture, and ten days is barely enough.
When It Happens: Dates & How They Are Set
Sangai is one of India's fixed-date festivals: it is held every year from 21 to 30 November, and the 2026 edition follows those dates — Saturday, 21 November to Monday, 30 November 2026, organised by the Manipur Tourism Department. The venue pattern is also established: the main ground at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal hosts the central programme, exhibitions and food and craft bazaars, with cultural and satellite events at other Imphal venues and, in some editions, at Loktak-side locations.
The opening and closing days carry the biggest ceremonies; the middle days are best for the exhibitions, sports and evening cultural programmes at a slightly calmer pace. The detailed daily programme is published by Manipur Tourism in November.
What Happens: Highlights & Where to Be
The evening cultural programmes are the core: Ras Leela performed as it should be, in its home; pung cholom, the drum dance of flying leaps; maibi jagoi (the priestess dances of the older Lai Haraoba tradition); thang-ta sword-and-spear displays; and troupes from Manipur's hill districts — the festival is deliberately a meeting of the valley and the hills, Meitei and Naga and Kuki-Chin cultures on one bill.
Make the Loktak day trip: about 45 km from Imphal, the lake's floating islands, the INA museum at Moirang (where the Indian National Army first raised the flag on the mainland in 1944), and the edge of Keibul Lamjao, where with luck and an early start you may glimpse the sangai itself. In Imphal, do not miss Ima Keithel — the great market run entirely by women, some 3,000 traders strong — and the Imphal War Cemetery, kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Shop and eat the festival: Manipur's handloom (Moirang phee, striped and embroidered textiles), black pottery from Longpi, kauna reed craft, and a food court education in Manipuri cooking — eromba, kangsoi, singju and the fermented, pungent flavours that make this cuisine one of India's most distinctive.
How to Attend
Imphal's Bir Tikendrajit International Airport connects to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati; the railhead is still Guwahati or Dimapur with a long road leg, as Manipur's own railway is under construction. Routes are in our Imphal transport guide and bases in the stay section. Imphal's hotel stock is modest for a state capital — book ahead for festival week.
Permits: Indian citizens from other states require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Manipur — arrange it online or on arrival at the designated counters, and carry ID. Entry to the festival grounds is generally free or by a modest pass; exhibitions and food are pay-as-you-go.
Good to Know Before You Go
Manipur has had difficult years, and travellers should check the current situation and local advice before travelling, stick to the festival areas and established sightseeing circuit (Imphal, Loktak, Moreh side trips only as advised), and be guided by their hotel and local contacts on movement after dark. Within the festival, norms are easy: modest dress, ask before photographing performers and market women, and bargain gently at craft stalls. More in our Imphal destination guide and the Manipur guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Sangai Festival in 2026?
The Sangai Festival 2026 runs from Saturday, 21 November to Monday, 30 November 2026, in Imphal, Manipur — the festival's fixed annual dates, organised by the Manipur Tourism Department.
Are the dates confirmed?
Yes. The festival is held on the same dates every year (21–30 November), and the 2026 edition follows them. The day-by-day programme is published by Manipur Tourism closer to November.
Why is it called the Sangai Festival?
It is named after the sangai, Manipur's state animal — a rare brow-antlered deer found only on the floating phumdi islands of Loktak Lake, in Keibul Lamjao National Park. The name ties the festival to conservation of the deer.
Do I need a permit to visit Manipur for the festival?
Indian citizens from other states need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Manipur, available online and at designated counters. Foreign nationals should check the current Protected Area Permit rules before travelling.
What else should I see around the festival?
Loktak Lake and Moirang (INA museum), Keibul Lamjao National Park, Ima Keithel women's market, the Imphal War Cemetery and the Kangla Fort precinct — most fit into two extra days based in Imphal.
Keep Planning
Return to the festivals hub for the year-round calendar, read the Imphal destination guide for the full picture of the place, and browse the Manipur travel guide. Pair this festival with Hornbill Festival and Ziro Festival of Music.