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Dry days can be a nuisance if you don’t plan ahead, especially when they fall on a weekend. What if your birthday falls on one of them? Or if you’re throwing a house party and realise last minute that you can’t order alcohol from the shop because it's shuttered down? While you’ve (hopefully) been able to dodge the pain of your favourite alcohol shop ghosting you, or been told that your go-to bar is only serving mocktails on certain dates through the first half of the year, we’re here to ensure that you’re doubly aware of when to stock up through the rest of it.
The second half of 2024 comes with a host of festivals like Muharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Diwali, and of course Christmas — thereby guaranteeing that the list of dry days in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, and other cities runs long. A lot of these will also fall on long weekends, which can be a serious impediment to your plans, regardless of whether you’re getting ready for a quick getaway or choosing to indulge yourself on a Saturday night. To this end, bookmark this July to December dry days calendar, so you can make sure to stock up on your share of whiskies, vodkas, rum, gin, wine, and beers beforehand.
(Disclaimer: This list may differ for certain Indian states)
Dry days in India 2024: 14 dates from July to December 2024 when you need to stock up in advance
Muharram and Ashadi Ekadashi: 17 July, Wednesday
Guru Purnima: 21 July, Sunday
Independence Day: 15 August, Thursday
Janmashthami: 26 August, Monday
Ganesh Chaturthi: 7 September (only in Maharashtra), Saturday
Eid-e-Milad and Anant Chaturdashi: 17 September, Tuesday
Gandhi Jayanti: 2 October, Wednesday
Prohibition Week: 8 October (only in Maharashtra), Tuesday
Dussehra: 12 October, Saturday
Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti: 17 October, Thursday
Diwali: 1 November, Friday
Kartiki Ekadashi: 12 November, Tuesday
Guru Nanak Jayanti: 15 November, Friday
Christmas: 25 December, Wednesday