The dry, cool months from October to March are the most comfortable time to visit Kerala, with daytime temperatures around 25–32°C and minimal rain. The southwest monsoon arrives in June and lasts through September — bring an umbrella, but the lush green landscape and reduced crowds make it a worthwhile time for ayurveda retreats and backwater stays. April and May get hot and humid.
Many travellers time their visit around one of Kerala's distinctive festivals.
Onam is Kerala's biggest festival, celebrated in August or September during the Malayalam month of Chingam. It marks the mythical return of King Mahabali, and the entire state comes alive for about ten days. Families lay elaborate flower carpets (pookalam) at their doorsteps, prepare the grand sadya feast on banana leaves, and villages stage snake boat races (vallam kali) on the backwaters. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha is the most famous of these, with massive snake boats crewed by over a hundred rowers each.
Vishu falls in mid-April and marks the Malayalam new year and the beginning of the harvest season. The highlight is the vishukkani, an auspicious arrangement of fruits, vegetables, gold and flowers that family members view first thing in the morning. The state flower, kanikkonna (golden shower tree), blooms everywhere during this time, draping the landscape in yellow.
Thrissur Pooram is the most spectacular temple festival in Kerala, held at Thrissur in April or May. Two rival groups of caparisoned elephants face off in a display of parasols, drums and fireworks that draws enormous crowds. The percussion ensemble (panchavadyam) builds to a thunderous crescendo that you feel in your chest.
Theyyam is a ritual art form unique to northern Kerala, particularly around Kannur. Performers in elaborate costumes and face paint embody local deities in trance-like dances that are part worship, part theatre. The theyyam season runs roughly from October to May, and catching a performance in a village shrine is one of Kerala's most extraordinary experiences.
Kerala also celebrates Christmas with great enthusiasm, particularly among the Syrian Christian community, and Eid is marked with feasting across the state's Muslim communities. The sheer number of temple festivals, church feasts and mosque celebrations means there is almost always something happening somewhere in Kerala.