Durga Puja (দুর্গাপূজা Durgāpūjā), a festival honouring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place between September and October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival-like ambience. Streets shut down for the construction of pandals (প্যান্ডেল, pyānḍel), large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. A good time to visit, unless you have a fear of crowds.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the main club cricket league in India. It is one of the world's most widely attended sporting events, and if you are in Kolkata during the season (April–May), consider watching the home team (Kolkata Knight Riders) play at Eden Gardens. In addition to the IPL, India's national team also plays some of its international matches at Eden Gardens. While its size was surpassed by the new Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad in 2020, Eden Gardens is widely regarded as the spiritual home of Indian cricket, similar to the role Lords plays in England, or the role the Melbourne Cricket Ground plays in Australia.
The Kolkata Book Fair (বইমেলা baimelā or পুস্তকমেলা pustakmelā) takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is the largest book fair in Asia and is a significant event in the city. Central Park in Salt Lake is the venue of the Kolkata Book Fair since 2022. The similarly-named but smaller Kolkata District Book Fair takes place at Netaji Indoor Stadium in May. Some locations have their own local book fairs, like Behala, North Kolkata, Dum Dum and New Town.
The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) takes place from 15 December to 22 December every year at 4PM. Although the opening and closing ceremonies takes place at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Nandan is the main centre for the festival.
