Kirtan festivals in India and abroad: where, when and who leads

Kirtan festivals are multi-day gatherings where hundreds or thousands of people sing the holy names together, with leaders taking turns through the day. The main ones are held in West Bengal, the UAE, Belgium and the United States, and each has a fixed season. This guide lists the kirtan festivals we could confirm from their own sites or ISKCON News, with the month, the place, what it is like, and which Book Kirtan artists have led there.

Many families first meet an artist at a festival and then ask whether they will come to sing at home. The last section explains how that works.

Which are the major kirtan festivals?

The table covers what we could verify. Dates change each year, so treat the month as a pattern and check the festival’s own site for the current dates.

Festival	When	Where	What it is like	Book Kirtan artists who have led there
Mayapur Kirtan Mela	February or March, around Gaura Purnima	ISKCON Mayapur, West Bengal	Five days of kirtan, about twelve hours a day, free to attend	Chaitanya Hari, Gaura Mani, Goloknath Das, Mahanitai Das, Swarupa Damodar Das, Yogindra, Saci Suta
Kirtan Rasa	Early December (2025: 1 to 3 December)	Ajman, UAE	Three days of twelve-hour kirtan sessions run by a Middle East kirtan community	Chaitanya Hari, Sharad Bihari Das, Swarupa Damodar Das, Yogindra
Radhadesh Mellows	Late January to early February (2027: 28 January to 1 February)	Durbuy, Belgium	Three days of non-stop kirtan, about 2,000 people in person, 50 artists	Madhava, Saci Suta, Yogindra
Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat	Memorial Day weekend, late May (2027: 28 to 31 May)	A US hotel venue that changes yearly (2026 New Orleans, 2027 Orlando)	Four days, about 5,000 expected, more than 40 hours of kirtan	Mayuri Gandharvika, Sacinandana Swami
Kirtan Safari Mela	August (2025: 7 to 9 August)	Radha Bankebihari Mandir, Nairobi, Kenya	Three days, thousands of participants, international and local singers	Madhurika Devi Dasi, Sharad Bihari Das
Rishikesh Kirtan Fest	20 February to 25 March (2025)	Anandham Ashram, Tapovan, Rishikesh	Five weeks of daily kirtan, workshops and feasts, free admission	Gaura Vani Das
Kirtan50	New Year’s Eve	ISKCON Dallas, Texas	A kirtan marathon around 31 December	Yogindra, Mayuri Gandharvika, Saci Suta
Birmingham 24 Hour Kirtan	June in 2010	Birmingham, UK	A full day and night of kirtan	Saci Suta
Bhakti Fest	Autumn (2024: 27 to 29 September)	Joshua Tree, California	Kirtan, yoga and meditation, family-friendly and substance-free	Radhika Das, Gaura Vani Das

What happens at the Mayapur Kirtan Mela?

Mayapur is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, so many singers regard it as the home of kirtan. The Kirtan Mela is the chanting centrepiece of the Gaura Purnima festival. Mayapur’s own page gives it as five days in February, and lists leaders such as kirtaniyas, sannyasis and senior devotees, accompanied by mridangas and karatalas.

ISKCON News describes how it began. The first Mela was held on 22 to 25 February 2012, modelled on a German Kirtan Mela from 2011. By 2013 about 7,000 people took part, with around 2,000 chanting together on most evenings and more than 5,000 watching the livestream at times. Chanting ran from about 10 in the morning to 10 at night, singers sat on the floor facing the Deities rather than on a stage, and meals were provided.

Chaitanya Hari, Gaura Mani, Goloknath Das and Yogindra all led sessions at the 2025 edition, according to the festival’s own recordings. Mahanitai Das led at the 2017 edition and Swarupa Damodar Das at the 2019 edition. If you want to see one of these artists live before booking, Mayapur is where several of them sing in the same week.

What is Kirtan Rasa?

Kirtan Rasa is an annual festival run by a kirtan-loving community in the Middle East, which says it has more than 2,000 dedicated chanters. The 2025 edition was held at the Indian Association Ajman Al Jurf in Ajman, UAE, from 1 to 3 December. Each day had twelve hours of kirtan, and the days before it were given to holy name meditations and an evening of bhajans.

You will see it written as the “Dubai Kirtan Mela” in many video titles. The official site gives the 2025 venue as Ajman, and the organisers stress it is not in Sharjah. Check the site for the venue each year. Chaitanya Hari, Sharad Bihari Das, Swarupa Damodar Das and Yogindra have all sung there in recent years. For families in the Gulf, it is the easiest way to hear India-based kirtan leaders without travelling home.

What is Radhadesh Mellows?

Radhadesh Mellows is a kirtan gathering at the ISKCON Radhadesh community in the Belgian Ardennes. The 2027 edition is the 19th. It runs from 28 January to 1 February, with three days of non-stop kirtan from 29 to 31 January, about 2,000 participants in person and 50 artists. It is also broadcast live on YouTube, so many people watch from home.

Madhava led the final kirtan on day three in 2025. Saci Suta led on the first day in 2025, and Yogindra on the first day in 2026. Anyone planning a trip should read the official page for the booking method and the exact address, as the venue details are published there each year.

What is Sadhu Sanga Kirtan Retreat?

Sadhu Sanga is the largest annual kirtan gathering of ISKCON in North America. It is held on Memorial Day weekend at a large hotel, and the venue changes. The 2026 retreat ran from 22 to 25 May at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, with more than 5,000 attendees expected and more than 40 hours of kirtan. The 2027 retreat, the 14th, is set for 28 to 31 May at the Hilton in Orlando. Registration goes through a mobile app and opens in early December.

The official lineup for 2026 and 2027 includes Sacinandana Swami. Mayuri Gandharvika led kirtan there in 2024 and 2025, and in 2026 she took part in New Orleans, according to her recordings. Indradyumna Swami’s team organises the retreat.

What other kirtan festivals are worth knowing?

Kirtan Safari Mela, Nairobi. ISKCON News calls the August 2025 event the first official Kirtan Safari Mela. It ran for three days at the Sri Sri Radha Bankebihari Mandir, drew thousands of participants from Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and the UK, and featured Sharad Bihari Das and Madhurika Devi Dasi as international guests. When a power cut silenced the instruments, people lifted their phone lights and kept singing.

Rishikesh Kirtan Fest. Under the guidance of Indradyumna Swami’s team, the 2025 edition ran from 20 February to 25 March at Anandham Ashram on the banks of the Ganges. Each day had a philosophy class, workshops, kirtan and a vegetarian feast. Admission was free. Gaura Vani Das was among the kirtan leaders.

Kirtan50, Dallas. The idea began in 2015 as a 50-hour festival at Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji Mandir to mark ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, and Saci Suta was on its first line-up. Yogindra sang there on New Year’s Eve in 2023 and 2025, and Mayuri Gandharvika led at its 10th anniversary in 2025.

Birmingham 24 Hour Kirtan. ISKCON News reported the 11th annual event in June 2010. Saci Suta led at the 2025 edition, according to his recording.

Bhakti Fest, Joshua Tree. This is a different kind of event: an independent festival of kirtan, yoga and meditation. The 2024 edition ran on 27 to 29 September at the Joshua Tree Lake and Campground. Radhika Das sang there in 2024, and ISKCON News listed Gaura Vani’s group in 2009 coverage of that year’s festival.

Which festivals did we leave out, and why?

Some festivals our artists clearly sing at have no official page or news report that we could check. We did not put them in the table, but you may meet them:

• Kirtan Mela Siliguri at ISKCON Siliguri, which Goloknath Das led in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and Srihari Kanta Prabhu led in 2024.
• Kirtan Fest at ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai, led by Vraj Gopal Das in 2019 and 2020.
• Kirtan Fest Bahrain 2025, where Saci Suta and Swarupa Damodar Das sang.

Their dates are not fixed in anything we could confirm. Ask the temple directly.

Can you book a festival kirtan artist for your family?

Festival artists are usually available for private occasions outside their touring weeks. Tell the artist your date, city and the type of event, and ask about travel. Our Hare Krishna kirtan page shows the artists who sing this form. If you have not hosted before, read what is kirtan, then how to host a kirtan at home, and use the home kirtan checklist. Our tips page covers what to ask an artist.

When you are ready, request a booking.