Come February, all roads lead to Surajkund in Faridabad, Haryana as it hosts the world’s largest crafts fair. The Surajkund International Crafts Fair, popularly called Surajkund Mela, is held around this time every year. Valentine’s Day can take a back seat. Surajkund Mela is undoubtedly the hottest event of India in February.
Winters are on their way out and it’s time to have some fun under the sun. What can be a better way than to attend a fair that is so colourful, vibrant, and is absolutely Indian at heart? DelhiFunDos is all about food, travel, art, and culture and so is Surajkund International Crafts Fair. Surajkund Mela happens so close to Delhi. No wonder we at DelhiFunDos are so excited about this extravagant affair.
What is Surajkund Craft Fair?
“The notion of education through handicrafts rises from the contemplation of truth and love permeating life’s activities.” – Mahatma Gandhi
The Surajkund International Craft Fair sees participation from across the world. Artisans and craftspeople share an eclectic variety of food, dance, art forms, handloom, and handicrafts. It’s like a psychedelic fun fair where the whole world comes to celebrate. More than 400 countries are participating in Surajkund Mela, 2024. No wonder Surajkund Mela is not just an Indian but an International Crafts Fair.
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The dates for the Surajkund Crafts Fair are already announced and we compiled all the vital details from the dates of the Surajkund Fair to the venue, parking, tickets, and much more below. From the best shopping experience to what to eat and watch, this post will answer all your questions.
Where is the Surajkund Mela 2024 held?
Surjakund International Crafts Fair is held at Surajkund Mela ground in Faridabad, Haryana. The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, and External Affairs.
Dates for Surajkund Mela 2024
The dates for Surajkund 2024 are 2nd February to 18th February 2024. This fortnight-long fair will remain open from 10 in the morning to 8 in the evening.
How to reach Surajkund Mela
The best mode of transport to visit Surajkund Mela is to drive or to take a taxi. There are many different gates and multiple official paid parking lots close to all gates. Given the massive size of the fair, the parking spaces are also huge. It is estimated that more than 10 lakh visitors attend the Surajkund crafts fair every year. Keeping this in mind, the elaborate parking spaces have been created. The parking fees are a tad expensive and you might find random spots near the area with cars parked. However, it is safe to park your vehicle in the official parking area.
The nearest railway station and airport to Surajkund Mela are at Delhi. From here, prepaid cabs or app taxis are advisable.
The nearest metro station to Surajkund crafts fair is the Badarpur metro station on the Violet Line. This is about 5 km from the fair ground. You can take a cab or you would find many autorickshaws at the metro station for the last-mile connection.
Special buses from ISBT, Shivaji Stadium, and Gurgaon ply especially for Surajkund Mela only during the duration of the fair.
Theme state for Surajkund International Crafts Fair 2024
The theme state for Surajkund Mela 2024 is Gujarat. We expect to see a lot of Gujarati and Kutchi art, craft, food, and cultural performances from the featured state.
Featured country for Surajkund International Crafts Fair 2024
Tanzania has been chosen as the featured country for the latest edition of the Surjakund Craft Fair. There will be special focus on the food, art, craft, and culture of this East African country during this year’s Surajkund Mela.
What to shop at Surajkund Mela?
For people who like shopping, Surajkund is like heaven. There is enormous variety of handloom, prints, and craft items. You can buy all kinds of clothes, ornaments, shoes, belts, bags, wallets, and other accessories from here. Home accessories such as bed sheets, bed covers, light furniture, lamps of all kinds, wood and stone carvings, terracotta chimes and planters, rugs, durries, and kilim carpets from Turkey – a single piece can elevate the style quotient of your home. We had bought a laundry basket many years back and it is still going strong. You can also buy homemade snacks, paapad, pickles, and sweets from Surajkund Mela.
What is special in Surajkund 2024?
Surajkund Mela is spread out on a hillock. Therefore, many stalls get less visibility much to the disappointment of those stall owners. To address that issue, the stalls have been arranged in a unique pattern this year. As a result a visitor has to cross every stall at least once.
That’s a smart idea.
Food at Surajkund 2024
If you like trying cuisines from different states of India, Surajkund provides the perfect opportunity. The many food courts here have stalls that carry items from different parts of India. In addition, catering and hospitality colleges and institutes also put up stalls. So, along with the routine chhole bhaturay, dosa, and sandwiches, you can also try Kashmiri Wazwan or black bean pudding from Nagaland. Incidentally, there is no embargo on bringing your own food inside the fair and make a picnic out of it. There are many drinking water booths inside the fair. It would be convenient if you carry a water bottle. That way you refrain from buying single-use plastic bottles that are a huge environment hazard.
Cultural performance at Surajkund Mela
Music and dance performances are an integral part of the Surajkund crafts fair. There are many open spaces or Chaupal dedicated for folk performances such as regional dances, the snake-charmer’s horn, Santhali and Chhattisgarhi folk dances, Bhangra and Gidda, and so on. The fair visitors often join in and shake a leg with the dancers and musicians. This completes the carnival mood of the Surajkund Mela. There is a dedicated stage area where classical performances and concerts take place in the evening.
Surajkund Mela 2024 tickets
It is not necessary that you line up for Surajkund Mela tickets. Tickets are available offline as well as online. There is a 50% rebate on the entry tickets for differently-abled persons, senior citizens, defence personnel, and ex-servicemen.
Tips for enjoying Surajkund Mela
- There are limited number of tickets for every day. To avoid disappointment you can buy prior tickets online before the day’s quota is exhausted.
- Surajkund Mela ground is undulating and is not suitable for people with walking disability. It is not even suitable for wheelchairs.
- Make sure you wear comfortable shoes as a lot of walking is involved. There are not too many options for sitting like benches or chairs apart from the food court. But here too, seating capacity is also very limited.
- Carry big bags preferably with wheels if you plan to shop a lot.
- The fair is very colourful and vibrant and you tend to click many selfies and photos. So you better carry a power bank with you.
- Weekends are very crowded at the fair. If possible, come on weekdays to enjoy the fair better.
- Carry a removable jacket. The days are warm but evenings are often colder.
- Sometimes some of the phone networks don’t work here especially if it gets very crowded. So it is helpful to carry some cash and not totally rely on digital payments.
If you want to setup a stall at Surajkund Crafts Fair, you can get all the information on Haryana Tourism’s official website.
We hope we managed to give you most of the information you need to visit and enjoy the latest edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Fair.
See you at the Surjakund Mela 2024.
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