Rishikesh has a very tourist friendly Culture, because the main source of income to the most of the people is tourism. Everyday thousands of tourist visit Rishikesh. Some areas are full of foreign tourist every time. So many people from outside India stay in Rishikesh for long period to learn yoga and meditation. People of Rishikesh are very friendly.
Rishikesh has Culture very similar to the other towns in india. Most of the people believe in arrange marriage. Major festivals in Rishikesh are Diwali and Holi. During may june this area is full of india people as the children has holidays in these months. Foreign tourist mostly come in October, November, December, January, February and March.
Hindi and Garhwali language is widely spoken here. Many world famous spiritual ashramsare here. If you are tired of fast life and you want to spend few days of life in peaceful atmosphere this is one of the best places in whole world. Rishikesh has something for every kind of person. Weather you are interested in spirituality, yoga, meditation, music even for adventure Rishikesh can serve you better.
Most of the people eat Indian food here. Non Vegetarian food is totally prohibited in whole city by government because this is a holy town. Other popular foods are Chinese and continental. However some places have wide range to serve most of the foreign tourist well.

Basant Panchami

festival is celebrated to welcome the onset of the spring season. This festival is dedicated for bringing in peace and beauty to the city and the world. During this festival the whole city of Rishikesh is covered in green and yellow. One can notice a sudden surge in the enjoyment and noise of the city. The people of Rishikesh celebrate the festival by wearing yellow clothes and eat yellow rice which is cooked in saffron, turmeric and colored sweets. The main sweet of this festival is the besan ki mithai. The festival is marks the beginning of the Holi Baithaks which is in the Magh month of the Hindu calendar.

Holi in Rishikesh

next big festival is the festival of colors. Holi is celebrated throughout Rishikesh with a lot of pomp and joy. The festival is dominated by the presence of frolic, colors and a lot of fun where people pour liquid colors on each other. People also take the blessings of their seniors by touching their feet.
The festival is celebrated in the month of Phalgun which falls in the month of March by the Hindu calendar. The festival is now celebrated throughout the world by different names. One also should not be shocked to see a huge crowd of foreigners who come here to witness the celebrations.

International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh

Being the yoga capital of the world it is necessary for the ashrams and mediation centres of Rishikesh to spread their knowledge and wisdom every now and then. This is done via the International Yoga Festival which is held by the tourism department of Uttarakhand is association with the Parmath Niketan Ashram.

Classical Dance in Rishikesh

Indian classical dance is a lost form of tradition but the locals in Rishikesh strive to keep a balance between the new and the old. While the city is moving towards commercialism, the locals prefer Indian dance classes to the contemporary aerobics. Some of the dance classes are Bal Bharti Music and Dance by Mrs. Shivani Gupta, Modern school by Mrs. Sudha Uppadaya, Omkaranand Saraswati Dance Academy by Mrs. Kusum shrivastava, Nupur kala Mandir by Dipashri Moulik.