Camel Festival in Bikaner, counted among one of the important fairs and festivals in Rajasthan, is a cultural extravaganza. The festival is a tribute to the "ship of the desert" that is an integral aspect of life in a desert. January is the pertinent time to indulge oneself in a desert fling and that's what makes Bikaner's Camel Festival such a big hit. In Bikaner, the common sight that one might come across is that of the camels pulling heavy cart loads, transporting grains and working laboriously at the wells. The Camel Festival, Bikaner is kick- started by a procession of flamboyantly dressed-up camels. The procession is flagged off from the Junagarh Fort but does not remain restricted to that particular area.

The festivity advances to the open sand spreads of the Polo Grounds, followed by camel races, camel milking, fur cutting design, the best breed competition, camel acrobatics, camel bands. The camels display amazing foot-work, dancing gracefully to the direction of their riders.

One can also have a feast gorging on traditional sweets made from pure camel milk. All of these are based on recipes that have come down over the ages and they offer a unique flavour that cannot be repeated anywhere else. As the evening draws near thousands of people –local as well a tourists, ordinary citizens as well as dignitaries –come together to enjoy the different colours of this unique festival that celebrates the joint efforts of man and his companion creatures in the desert.