Winter Carnival
Winter carnival is the most awaited event in the valley. This gay festival has been declare a state level festival. Massive participation by culture groups and students from various colleges of India marks the success of winter carnival. The festival is held at 'Manu Kala Kendra' in Manali.

Second and third weeks of January in Manali are a feast for the visitors when the five-day long festival is held.

The performers try to show their excellence and give their level best. It provides opportunities to the artists to prove themselves.

Competitions conducted include Indian classical music (vocal and instrumental), folk songs, folk dances, classical dances, group dances, group songs, fancy dress, film songs, film dances, one act plays, and street plays. The most awaited competitions are Men's personality contest and Winter Queen contest.

First day of the festival is something to behold. First day tablos are presented by various cultural groups, which is also a competitive item. The rest four days are equally inviting, offering you a substantial variety of programs. On the last day of the carnival, finals of Winter Queen contest and Men's Personality contest are held. On the last day, the chief guest distributes prizes to the victorious participants of the five-day long festival.

Spring Festival
Spring festival is also called Basantotsava or Pipal jatra and takes place at Dhalpur ground Kullu from 28th April to 30th April. This fair has been declared a state festival by the Himachal Pradesh government. As it marks the beginning of the spring season (and also the tourist season) in the valley, it is also known as Spring Festival.

Kullu is known as the valley of gods. The villages have their own gods and goddesses. It is said that in olden days, the King (or the Raja) used to sit in the Dhalpur ground with his courtiers under the Pipal Tree to look at the traditional dances. Earlier 16 Gods used to participate in the fair, but as the years rolled by, the fair lost its grandeur.

Every night during the festival, cultural programs are performed by the various cultural groups at Kala Kendra which is a big open-air theater. The cultural groups and reputed artists come from all over India to perform in the festival.