New Year 2027 in Rishikesh and Auli: River Nights or Mountain Snow

New Year's Eve 2026 is a Thursday, so 1 January 2027 falls on a Friday and the holiday stretches to Sunday 3 January. Two very different New Years are within a day's drive of each other in Uttarakhand: Rishikesh on the Ganga, with riverside camps, cafés and a quiet start to the year at the aarti, and Auli above Joshimath, where the attraction is the cold, the mountain views and, in some years, the first good snow. Here is how to choose, and how to plan either.

Rishikesh or Auli at a glance

New Year in Rishikesh

The New Year crowd arrives from about 28 December, and Tapovan, Laxman Jhula and the riverside camps around Shivpuri are busiest on the night of the 31st. Many cafés hold live music or open-mic evenings over the holiday week, and camps often plan a bonfire and music under the stars; each venue sets and announces its own programme, so check with yours in December. Rishikesh is a vegetarian, alcohol-free town by local rule, which surprises some first-time visitors, so the celebration is about music, food and the river rather than bars.

A good way to see the year in is the evening Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan or Triveni Ghat on the 31st, followed by dinner and the café or camp of your choice. On New Year's morning, the sunrise at Kunjapuri, above Narendra Nagar, looks out over the snow peaks on a clear day. Our Christmas in Rishikesh guide covers the cafés, the aarti and December weather in more detail.

New Year in Auli

Auli's meadows sit between about 2,500 and 3,000 metres above Joshimath, with views of Nanda Devi and the surrounding peaks. Is Auli open in December? Yes: the road from Joshimath is usually open and Auli can be visited all winter, though a heavy snowfall can close it for a day or two until it is cleared. Snow often arrives around the end of December, but it is never certain for New Year itself; January and February are the more reliable snow months and the time for ski courses. Our Auli guide covers the slopes and the ropeway, which runs when it is in service.

New Year in Auli is quiet: a bonfire at your hotel, a clear sky full of stars, and a cold, bright morning on the slopes. Rooms in Auli itself are few and fill early for the holiday. Joshimath, 16 km below, has more hotels, shops and an easier drive out if the weather turns.

Getting there and the roads

• Rishikesh: about 240 km from Delhi; expect slow traffic on 30 and 31 December and on 3 January. Trains run to Haridwar and Yog Nagari Rishikesh, and Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport is about 20 km away.
• Auli: by road through Rishikesh, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Joshimath. Break the journey in Rishikesh or Rudraprayag, drive only in daylight, and keep a spare day at the end for snow or landslide closures.
• Carry chains or hire a local driver used to winter roads for the climb to Auli, and watch for black ice on shaded bends in the morning.

What to pack

For Rishikesh, warm layers for the evenings and a jacket for the river at night. For Auli, real winter clothing: thermals, a down jacket, gloves, a woollen cap, waterproof shoes with good grip, sunglasses for the snow glare, and any medicines you need, since shops close early in winter. Our snowfall in Uttarakhand guide has more on winter driving and staying warm.

Where to stay for New Year

Book as early as you can: rooms for 30 December to 2 January are the first to go in both places. In Rishikesh, Tapovan and Laxman Jhula suit the café crowd, Ram Jhula a quieter stay, and Shivpuri the camps; compare verified stays with real photos on our hotels in Rishikesh page. For Auli, stay in Auli for the slopes at your door, or in Joshimath for more choice and an easier drive; see our hotels in Joshimath page and ask about heating and hot water before you book. If you would rather have a hill-town New Year with a carnival, see our Christmas and New Year in Mussoorie guide.