Holi 2026 falls on March 3 (Tuesday). Holika Dahan is March 2. The demand window runs March 1-4 for dine-in and catering, with gujiya and mithai pre-orders peaking Feb 20-28.

When is Baisakhi 2026?

Baisakhi 2026 is April 14 (Tuesday). Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi NCR see 2-3× lift on langar-style thali and makki di roti menus the weekend before and on the day itself.

Which cities see the biggest Holi demand lift?

Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Varanasi see 3-5× gujiya and thali demand. Mumbai and Pune see 2-3× from North Indian diaspora. Bangalore and Hyderabad see 1.5-2.5× in pockets with strong North Indian populations.

What should cloud kitchens list for Holi?

Gujiya family packs (12-24 pieces), thandai combos, and Holi special thali (chole bhature + gujiya + namkeen) at ₹399-599. List by Feb 25; confirm production capacity for fried items — gujiya has the highest festival-week refund rate if under-produced.

Holi and Baisakhi restaurant demand playbook (India)

Holi and Baisakhi are back-to-back spring festivals that move gujiya sales, thali demand, and catering orders across North and West India. Operators who treat them as one planning window — not two separate spikes — capture margin that sweet shops and casual dining leave on the table.

The Holi demand profile (March 1-4)

Phase	Days	Lift (avg)	Dominant order
Pre-Holi prep	Feb 20-28	2-3×	Gujiya pre-orders + corporate gifting
Holika Dahan eve	March 2	2.5-4×	Family dine-in + thandai
Holi day	March 3	1.5-2.5×	Brunch thali + delivery (afternoon dip)
Post-Holi	March 4	1.8-2.5×	Gujiya refill + leftover-friendly combos

The Baisakhi demand profile (April 12-14)

Phase	Days	Lift (avg)	Dominant order
Weekend build	April 11-12	2-3×	Punjabi thali + makki roti
Baisakhi day	April 14	2.5-4×	Langar-style buffet + catering
Post-festival	April 15-16	1.3-1.6×	Normalisation

Format by format strategy

Mithai / sweet shops

Gujiya is the hero SKU — fried and baked variants both move. Pre-sell corporate and housing society orders by Feb 20 with 50% deposit. Run two production shifts: 4 AM fry batch + 2 PM refill. Pair with thandai premix and dry fruit gujiya for premium gifting at ₹800-1,500 per kg.

North Indian casual dining

Holi special thali (chole bhature + gujiya + namkeen + thandai) at ₹350-550 drives 2.5-3.5× dine-in lift on Holika Dahan eve. For Baisakhi, langar-style unlimited thali at ₹450-650 captures families who would otherwise cook at home.

Cloud kitchen / QSR

Gujiya family pack (12 pieces + thandai sachet): ₹450-650 on aggregators. Holi day afternoon sees a delivery dip as streets shut — push morning brunch slots and evening recovery combos. Baisakhi weekend: makki roti + sarson da saag combo at ₹299-399.

Supply chain risk

Ingredient	Festival week lift	Mitigation
Mawa / khoya	+30-50%	Lock supply by Feb 15; freeze backup batches
Refined flour (gujiya)	+40-60%	Buy 2-week supply; store airtight
Dry fruits	+25-40%	Pre-chop and portion by Feb 18
Makki atta (Baisakhi)	+50-80%	Order by April 1; limited shelf life
Sarson (mustard greens)	+40-60%	Daily mandi buy; no buffer beyond 48 hrs
Ghee	+20-35%	Pre-contract with dairy supplier

Operational playbook

By Feb 1: finalise gujiya pricing, thali menus, and corporate order form
By Feb 10: outbound to corporates and housing societies for Holi gifting
By Feb 15: lock 60%+ of bulk gujiya orders with deposits
By Feb 18: pre-contract mawa, ghee, dry fruits; schedule extra fry staff
March 1-4: two-shift gujiya production; afternoon delivery throttle on Holi day
By April 1: finalise Baisakhi thali menu and makki roti prep SOP
April 11-14: langar-style service; 1.5-2× kitchen staff on Baisakhi day

Related festival playbooks

Holi sits between Makar Sankranti and Eid on the calendar. Cross-read both for staffing overlap if you run multi-city operations.

See city-by-city Holi and Baisakhi demand →