Story Content

Officially inaugurating the Champawat–Sarais Corbett festival 2026 on 18th February in 2026, at a colorful ceremony in the Chandkowi district in Champawat, Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, gave a jump start to a month-long festival, which should help promote ecotourism, cultural heritage, and wildlife conservation in the Kumaon region.

The festival will be held between February 18 and March 18, 2026, and will be organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB), the Forest Department, and the local people. It cuts across two iconic sites: the ancient town of Champawat (and its ancient temples, the story of the man-eaters of Baleshwar Temple, and the legend of the tiger-eating man) and the buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park near Ramnagar (with its Sarais, traditional rest houses, and tiger safaris).

CM Dhami, at the opening address of the festival in the beautiful complex of Baleshwar Temple, opined:

It is not a tourism festival but a festival of conservation of our rich Kumaoni culture and conservation of our forests and wildlife and sustainable livelihoods for the local populations. Champawat Sarais Corbett is a special combination of spiritualism, adventure, and nature, and we do not want the world to miss the opportunity.

The highlights of the festival include:

• Cultural Extravaganza Dayly folk shows (Chholiy, Jhora, Chanchari), Kumaoni food booths, handicraft fairs, and live performances of Aipan art and Pahadi wood carving.
• Wildlife & Adventure Special: Corbett night safaris, bird-watching trails, and guided tours of ancient Sarais and eco-campsites bordering the reserve forest.
• Spiritual Tourism --There are temple tours in Champawat (Baleshwar, Mayawati Ashram, and Punyagiri), with yoga and meditation in the peaceful environment of Corbett.
• Eco-Awareness—Plantation drives, anti-poaching workshops, and school outreach programs on conservation of the tigers and forests.
• Food & Craft Festival—Kumaon Ka Swad food festival with Bhatt ki Churkani, Aloo ke Gutke, Bal Mithai, and local organic food.

Other activities in the festival are a special Tiger Conservation Run in Ramnagar on March 8 and a grand closing event with cultural fusion performances on March 18.

It is anticipated that there will be over 1.5 lakh visitors, including the domestic tourists in the regions of Delhi-NCR, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh and international tourists. It is enhanced with better connectivity of roads, new eco resorts, and special train packages between Delhi and Kathgodam.

CM Dhami has proposed a 50 crore increase in tourism infrastructure of Champawat and Corbett buffer areas, such as improvement of roads, signs, and homestays. The festival will elevate Uttarakhand to be the best nature-culture-tourism destination in India, as it creates employment opportunities for the locals.

With the state preparing to receive the highest number of tourists in a given year, the festival, the date, and event in February is going to be the celebration of the soul of the state, the mountains, forests, temples, and strong people that the state has.