Laddu Holi 2027 in Barsana: A Guide from Delhi

Laddu Holi is one of the most joyful, colourful and beautiful moments in the whole of India's rich festival calendar, the sweet, sparkling opening of the famous week-long Braj Holi at Barsana, the sacred town of Radha. It is a wonderful, uplifting and deeply devotional experience and one that is easily reached and enjoyed from Delhi with just a little careful planning ahead. This guide from Delhi Agra Tour Packages covers Laddu Holi 2027 in full, what it is, when and exactly where it happens, how to reach Barsana from Delhi and how to plan your trip, ideal alongside a wider Golden Triangle tour.

I was born in Delhi and in more than 11 years arranging trips for Experience My India I have taken many travellers and devotees into the Braj region for the sheer colour and magic of its famous Holi. Here is the clear, practical guide.

Laddu Holi 2027 at a glance

What is Laddu Holi?

Laddu Holi is the traditional, sweet opening of the week-long Braj Holi celebrations, held at the town of Barsana, the birthplace of Radha, the beloved of Lord Krishna. It is a moment of pure joy, colour and heartfelt devotion and it marks the very start of the most famous, spectacular and long-running Holi festivities anywhere in all of India.

According to the beautiful and much-loved tradition, Laddu Holi marks the moment when the formal invitation to Holi, sent from Nandgaon, the town of Lord Krishna, is joyfully and ceremonially accepted at Barsana, the town of Radha. To celebrate this happy acceptance, the priests and gathered devotees fill the temple courtyard and joyfully toss showers of sweet laddus, the round golden Indian sweets, high over the crowds, along with clouds of colour, while singing traditional bhajans or devotional songs, in honour of the divine couple Radha and Krishna. It is a wonderful, heart-warming and deeply devotional scene of sweetness, colour and song and it happens the day before the world-famous Barsana Lathmar Holi.

When is Laddu Holi 2027?

Laddu Holi in Barsana for 2027 is scheduled for Monday, 15 March 2027, at the historic Shri Radha Rani temple, also known as the Shriji temple. It falls, as it always does each year, on the day before the famous and spectacular Barsana Lathmar Holi, which in 2027 falls on Tuesday, 16 March.

It is worth remembering that the dates of Holi and all of the Braj Holi festivities follow the traditional Hindu lunar calendar, so they shift from year to year and the exact dates and the precise programme of events can change, so it is always wise to reconfirm nearer the time when you are planning your trip. The Braj Holi season as a whole unfolds beautifully over about a week to ten days in the run-up to the main Holi festival, with the sweet, joyful Laddu Holi as its opening celebration and it is well worth planning around the days you most wish to see.

Where is Laddu Holi held?

Laddu Holi is held at the historic Shri Radha Rani temple in Barsana, the town most sacred to Radha, in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The temple, also known as the Shriji or the Ladli Ji temple, is one of the most important, revered and beautiful temples in all of Braj, dedicated to Radha herself and it is the very heart and centre of Barsana's Holi celebrations.

An important thing to know before you go is that the temple sits high on a hill above the town and is reached by climbing a long, steep flight of stone stairs. This makes for a truly beautiful and atmospheric setting, with fine sweeping views out over Barsana and the green Braj countryside, but it does mean a fair climb, so comfortable shoes and a little energy and patience are genuinely needed, especially when navigating the huge and enthusiastic festival crowds on the day.

Laddu Holi and the week of Braj Holi

Laddu Holi is the joyful, sweet opening of the whole Braj Holi season, which is the most celebrated, colourful and spectacular Holi in all of India, unfolding grandly over about a week across the various sacred towns of Braj:

• Laddu Holi at Barsana: the joyful sweet opening ceremony, with great showers of laddus, colour and devotional song at the hilltop Radha Rani temple, on 15 March 2027.

• Lathmar Holi at Barsana: the famous, playful and spectacular festival the very next day, 16 March 2027, when, by long-standing tradition, the women of Barsana playfully drive off the visiting men of Nandgaon with sticks or lathis, in a joyful, colourful mock battle watched by huge crowds.

• Lathmar Holi at Nandgaon: the very following day, when the same lively and colourful tradition is joyfully repeated in reverse in Lord Krishna's own town of Nandgaon, just across the Braj countryside.

• Phoolon Wali Holi at Vrindavan: the beautiful, gentle and much-loved flower Holi at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, when the priests shower the joyful devotees with heaps of fragrant fresh flowers instead of coloured powder, on its own special day in the season.

• The wider Braj Holi: many more days of colour, music, processions and devotion across Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan and the whole Braj region, building up to the main Holi festival itself.

For very many travellers and devotees alike, experiencing the famous Braj Holi and the sweet Laddu Holi at its very opening, is a true, once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list experience, quite unlike Holi celebrated anywhere else in the world and one that stays with you long afterwards.

How to reach Barsana from Delhi

Barsana lies in the Braj region, about 130 to 150 km from Delhi, roughly 3 to 3.5 hours by road, usually via Mathura:

• By road: the most practical and popular way by far, drive from Delhi towards Mathura on the fast, smooth Yamuna Expressway, then along the smaller local roads to Barsana, which lies a little to the northwest of Mathura. During the Holi season, though, do expect very heavy traffic and busy, crowded roads, so allow plenty of extra time and start out early.

• Via Mathura or Vrindavan: most travellers sensibly base themselves in Mathura or Vrindavan, the two main towns of Braj and travel out to Barsana for the day of Laddu Holi, as our Delhi to Mathura and Vrindavan distance guide covers that route from Delhi in full.

• By train: you can also take a train from Delhi to Mathura, the nearest major railhead, a restful way to cover the distance and then travel the last stretch by road out to Barsana.

Because of the huge Holi crowds and the resulting heavy traffic on the roads, the most comfortable and sensible approach by far is to stay overnight in Mathura or Vrindavan and make a well-planned, early-morning day trip out to Barsana for the Laddu Holi celebrations, rather than attempting the whole long round trip from Delhi in a single day.

How to plan your Laddu Holi trip from Delhi

A little careful planning ahead makes all the difference for a smooth and rewarding Braj Holi trip, given the crowds and the timings:

• Base yourself in Braj: stay in Mathura or Vrindavan, the heart of Braj, rather than trying to do the whole thing in one long, exhausting day trip out and back from Delhi.

• Book your stay months ahead: rooms in Mathura and Vrindavan fill up very quickly indeed during the Holi season, so book well in advance, ideally several months ahead, to secure a good place.

• Start very early: to reach Barsana, climb up to the hilltop temple and find yourself a good spot before the very biggest crowds arrive, a genuinely early morning start is essential.

• Plan the wider Braj Holi: consider staying on for the famous Lathmar Holi at Barsana the next day and the wider festivities across Braj, to make the very most of your trip.

• Let us handle the logistics: the transport, the timings, the stay and the crowds are all far easier and less stressful with everything arranged for you in advance.

As our Golden Triangle with Mathura and Vrindavan guide describes, Braj also combines beautifully with the wider Golden Triangle for a fuller trip.

Travel tips for Laddu Holi in Barsana

• Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes, as the Radha Rani temple is on a hilltop and requires climbing stairs.

• Expect massive crowds, tight security and busy streets, so it is genuinely best to arrive early.

• Book your stay in Mathura or Vrindavan months in advance, as rooms fill up quickly during Holi.

• Wear old clothes you do not mind getting completely covered in colour and protect your phone and camera.

• Keep your valuables safe and secure in the dense, jostling festival crowds.

• Go with a guide or an arranged trip to navigate the crowds, timings and logistics smoothly and safely.

• Stay hydrated and pace yourself; the day is long, energetic and can be tiring in the heat and crowds.

Want Laddu Holi and the Braj Holi planned from Delhi, with the stay, transport and timings all sorted? Message us on WhatsApp and Experience My India will build it for you.

What to expect on the day

Laddu Holi is an intense, joyful, exhilarating and utterly unforgettable experience. The hilltop temple and its courtyard fill to overflowing with huge, excited, happy crowds of devotees and visitors, the air thick with clouds of colour, the sound of drums and bhajans and the golden showers of sweet laddus tossed high over the swaying throng. It is loud, crowded, colourful, chaotic and deeply devotional all at once, a joyful whirl of sweetness, song and faith in one of the very holiest towns of Braj.

It is not, it must be said, a quiet or gentle or orderly experience, so it is best to come well prepared for the crowds, the climb up the temple stairs and the sheer overwhelming energy of it all and simply to relax and embrace the joy of the occasion. For those who love festivals, devotion and colour and who plan their trip well in advance, it is one of the most magical, moving and memorable days that India has to offer and a wonderful, uplifting start to the whole Braj Holi week.

Plan your trip with us

A Braj Holi trip is one of the most rewarding, joyful and memorable journeys you can make in all of India, but it is also one of the most logistically demanding, with its huge crowds, busy jammed roads, scarce and quickly-booked rooms and shifting festival timings, so it is easiest and by far the most enjoyable when the whole thing is handled and arranged for you. That is exactly what we do, your stay in Mathura or Vrindavan booked well ahead and the transport, the essential early starts and the timings for Laddu Holi and the wider Braj Holi all carefully arranged, so that you can simply relax and soak up the colour, the sweetness, the song and the devotion of it all.

Tell us your dates and group size and we will price it honestly around your standard rather than a fixed figure. You can combine Braj Holi with the classic circuit on our Golden Triangle tours or see the Taj at its finest on our Sunrise Taj tour. We can build it all within our wider Delhi Agra Tour Packages.

For timing the wider trip, our best time to visit North India guide covers the seasons and our things to do in Delhi guide the capital, where many Braj trips begin, while our nearby places to visit in Delhi guide covers more getaways.

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• New Delhi tour: the capital's imperial landmarks.

• Old Delhi tour: the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk.

• Delhi day tour: the best of the capital in a day.

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