Tirumala October Festivals 2026: Navaratri Brahmotsavam Dates & Schedule

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Most October guides for Tirumala are recycled from a normal year, and 2026 is not a normal year. The hills have already hosted one full nine-day Brahmotsavam in September, and they host a second one in October. If you are planning an October visit, that single fact changes your crowd expectations, your darshan odds and your booking strategy more than anything else on this page.

Why Tirumala Has a Second Brahmotsavam in October 2026

The Hindu lunar calendar carries an extra month, Adhika Masa, in 2026. When that extra month falls where it does this year, the annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam and the Navaratri Brahmotsavam separate into two distinct nine-day festivals instead of being observed together.

The result is a double festival year. The annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam ran from 15 to 23 September 2026, and the Navaratri Brahmotsavam runs 12 to 20 October 2026. Both are full nine-day festivals with their own processions, their own Garuda Seva and their own Chakra Snanam. Our full Tirumala Brahmotsavam 2026 dates and schedule covers both festivals side by side, and the September 2026 festival guide records how the first one ran.

Tirumala October Festivals 2026: The Confirmed Dates

These are the dates TTD has published for the October festival. Treat everything else you read about October timings, vahanams and ticket counts as unconfirmed until it appears on the official portal.

Nine days, 12 to 20 October. The two dates that decide most trips are 16 October and 20 October — one for the procession everybody wants to see, the other because the festival and Vijayadashami land on the same day.

The Full Day-Wise Vahana Schedule

TTD published the complete programme on 27 September 2026. The underlying pattern is simple — morning processions run 8 to 10 AM, evening processions 7 to 9 PM — and the exceptions are where the planning happens.

Four Ways October Is Not a Repeat of September

The vahana line-up looks almost identical to September’s, which is exactly why so many October pages are simply September reprinted. Set against the two published schedules, four things genuinely differ.

• No Dhwajarohanam and no Dhwajavarohanam. The Garuda flag is neither hoisted on the first day nor lowered on the last. September’s festival did both. October’s day 1 opens instead with Bangaru Tiruchi Utsavam at 9 AM, and the last day ends with Chakra Snanam rather than a flag lowering at night.
• No Pedda Radham. The wooden chariot that ran at 7 AM on 22 September is not part of this festival at all.
• The golden Swarna Ratham moves to the wooden chariot’s slot. In September it ran at 4 PM on the sixth day. In October it runs at 7 AM on Monday 19 October, the early-morning slot Rathotsavam held.
• Pushpaka Vimanam joins the line-up, at 4 PM on Saturday 17 October. It does not appear anywhere in September’s published schedule, and it is the only afternoon procession of these nine days — which makes 17 October the one day with three processions, morning, afternoon and evening.

One timing to plan around rather than a difference: Garuda Vahanam runs from 6.30 PM to 11.30 PM, five hours against the 7 to 9 PM window every other evening keeps. Treat 16 October as a long night, not an evening outing, and be in position on the Mada streets well before 6.30 PM.

Two things TTD still announces separately for each festival: which Arjitha Sevas are cancelled across the nine days, and which privilege darshan categories are suspended. Check the official portal, or our live Tirumala darshan status page for the current position on the ground.

Garuda Seva on Friday 16 October

Garuda Seva is the evening Lord Malayappa Swamy is carried on the Garuda vahanam, and it draws the largest single crowd of any Brahmotsavam day. In 2026 it happens twice — 19 September in the annual festival, which has passed, and 16 October in the Navaratri festival, which is still ahead.

Two things about 16 October are worth planning around. It is a Friday, so the weekend crowd arrives on top of the festival crowd rather than after it. And it is the second Garuda Seva of the year, which means the pilgrims who missed September have had a month to plan for it.

If you intend to be there for Garuda Seva, plan to be in Tirumala the day before, not on the day. Our Brahmotsavam darshan booking guide sets out what is bookable and what is not during the festival, and the Pournami Garuda Seva schedule covers the separate monthly Garuda Seva that TTD announces for each full moon.

Booking for an October 2026 Visit

This is where most October plans have already gone wrong, and it is worth being blunt about it. TTD releases each travel month’s online quota roughly three months ahead. The October 2026 quota was released between 18 and 27 July 2026. If you are reading this in September, that window has closed: the online ₹300 Special Entry Darshan slots and the Tirumala and Tirupati room quota for October were taken months ago.

Our TTD October 2026 quota release schedule records how that window ran, category by category. Nothing on this page can reopen it.

What is still open does not depend on the monthly quota at all:

• Sarva Darshan is the free queue and needs no online booking. Waiting times during a Brahmotsavam are long and unpredictable — assume considerably longer than a normal week.
• Divya Darshan tokens are issued free to pilgrims who walk up the Alipiri or Srivari Mettu footpaths.
• Cancellation re-releases return unpaid and cancelled slots to the portal through the day, and they are genuinely worth checking repeatedly.
• Offline accommodation at the Central Reception Office in Tirumala is allotted on the day, subject to availability.

What none of these require is an agent. Every TTD quota is released on the official portal alone, and no third party has privileged access to it. Anyone offering you reserved festival-week darshan is not working with TTD.

Which October Dates Suit Which Visit

The nine festival days are not interchangeable, and neither are the weeks around them.

• 1 to 10 October — the quietest stretch of the month, before the festival build-up begins. Best choice if darshan itself, rather than the procession, is the point of your trip.
• 11 to 15 October — the festival is running and the crowd is building, but the peak has not arrived. A reasonable compromise if you want festival atmosphere with a survivable queue.
• 16 October — Garuda Seva on a Friday. The heaviest day of the month by a wide margin. Go for the procession, not for a comfortable darshan.
• 17 to 20 October — the closing days, running into Chakra Snanam and Vijayadashami together on 20 October. Still very heavy.
• 21 to 31 October — the month empties out quickly once Chakra Snanam is done. The best darshan odds in October sit here.

Common October 2026 Date Errors

• Assuming there is only one Brahmotsavam in 2026. There are two. A guide that lists only September is not wrong about September, it is simply incomplete.
• Carrying September’s Garuda Seva date into October. They are different festivals with different dates — 19 September and 16 October.
• Reprinting September’s schedule for October. The two differ: October has no Dhwajarohanam, no Dhwajavarohanam and no wooden Pedda Radham, its golden Swarna Ratham runs on the morning of 19 October, and it adds Pushpaka Vimanam at 4 PM on 17 October.
• Planning to book October darshan in October. The quota closed in July.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Tirumala Navaratri Brahmotsavam 2026?
From 12 to 20 October 2026, with Ankurarpanam on 11 October. It is the second of two Brahmotsavams in 2026.

When is Garuda Seva in October 2026?
On Friday 16 October 2026. The other Garuda Seva of the year, on 19 September, has already passed.

Why are there two Brahmotsavams at Tirumala in 2026?
Because of Adhika Masa, an extra month in the Hindu lunar calendar, which separates the annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam from the Navaratri Brahmotsavam this year.

When does the Navaratri Brahmotsavam end?
With Chakra Snanam on Tuesday 20 October 2026, which is also Vijayadashami.

Can I still book ₹300 darshan or a room for October 2026?
Not through the monthly online quota — that window ran from 18 to 27 July 2026 and has closed. Sarva Darshan, Divya Darshan, cancellation re-releases and offline accommodation at the Central Reception Office do not depend on it.

Which vahanam is on which day in October 2026?
TTD published the full list on 27 September 2026 and it is in the table above. In order from 12 October: Bangaru Tiruchi Utsavam, Pedda Sesha, Chinna Sesha, Hamsa, Simha, Muthyapu Pandiri, Kalpavriksha, Sarva Bhupala, Mohini Avataram, Garuda, Hanumantha, Pushpaka Vimanam, Gaja, Surya Prabha, Chandra Prabha, Swarna Ratham and Aswa, closing with Chakra Snanam on 20 October.

What time is Garuda Seva on 16 October 2026?
From 6.30 PM to 11.30 PM. Every other evening procession runs 7 to 9 PM, so this one is roughly five hours long. Be on the Mada streets well before it starts.

Is there Dhwajarohanam at the October 2026 Brahmotsavam?
No. TTD has confirmed there is no Dhwajarohanam, no Dhwajavarohanam and no Pedda Radham in this Adhika Masa festival. Day 1 opens with Bangaru Tiruchi Utsavam at 9 AM on 12 October.

When is Swarna Ratham in October 2026?
At 7 AM on Monday 19 October 2026. The golden chariot stands in for the wooden Pedda Radham, which this festival does not have.

For the rest of the year’s calendar, see our current Tirumala festivals guide.

Last updated: 27 September 2026. The day-wise vahana schedule above is taken from TTD’s own Srivari Navaratri Brahmotsavam announcement of 27 September 2026, and the dates and weekdays were checked against a second independent festival calendar. We revise this page whenever TTD publishes or changes a date.

Last reviewed: September 27, 2026