Category: News
The International Lavi Fair 2026 will be held in Rampur, Shimla district, from 11 to 14 November 2026. It is one of the oldest trade fairs in the Himalayas, with a history of more than 300 years.
Rampur is about 130 km from Shimla, on National Highway 5 along the Sutlej river. The fair dates back to a trade treaty between the erstwhile Bushahr state and Tibet in the 1680s, signed in the time of Raja Kehari Singh of Rampur Bushahr. It gained international fair status in 1985.
What is planned
The four-day fair will feature four cultural evenings — two dedicated to Pahari culture, one to Bollywood music and another to Punjabi music. Other attractions include a laser show, a traditional food festival, sports competitions, a traditional musical instruments competition, a poetry gathering, a wall art competition and the Mr and Miss Bushahr contests.
The night functions are held at the PGSS Boys’ School ground, and the main traders set up at Part Bungalow. The official programme runs from 25 October to 14 November 2026, and includes the Padam Palace Cultural Nights from 7 to 14 November, folk dance and Dhol-Nagara competitions from 7 to 9 November, and the Mr and Mrs Bushahr competition from 11 to 14 November, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM daily. The Chamurthi Horse and Mule Fair, held from 1 to 3 November, has already taken place.
The fair is famous for Kinnauri shawls, handicrafts, carpets, pashmina wool, agricultural produce and dry fruits. The official site advises visitors to expect crisp, sunny autumn weather — days of 18°C to 22°C and nights of 7°C to 10°C — and to carry woollens for the evening concerts.
Fair activities on 3–4 November were postponed
Following the death of Rampur MLA Nand Lal on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, the fair activities scheduled for 3 and 4 November were postponed as a mark of respect. Nand Lal, 72, was a four-time Congress MLA from Rampur (elected in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022) and chairman of the 7th Himachal Pradesh State Finance Commission. He died at Chamiyana Hospital in Shimla after a prolonged illness.
The main fair from 11 to 14 November goes ahead as planned under the official programme.
Artist names for the cultural evenings and any entry fee or ticket prices have not been confirmed in the sources checked, so they are not stated here.
Sources: crazynewsindia.com, 12 October 2026; lavifair.in (official portal); Wikipedia — Lavi Fair; The News Himachal, 3 November 2026; The Unmute English, 3 November 2026.
