performers at the Ladakh Festival

We were quite lucky that our return to Leh coincided with the start of the Ladakh Festival.

The Ladakh Festival is celebrated over a couple of days with many individual events including sports like archery and polo as well as dance performances or art exhibitions. The highlight during our visit was a procession of several cultural troupes through the old town of Leh up to the city’s polo ground. The participants from different areas of Ladakh wore their colourful costumes and performed traditional dances. It was a really beautiful show!

procession at the Ladakh Festival

in traditional costumes

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costumes

polo players

polo players

in traditional costumes

in traditional costumes

in traditional costumes

in traditional costumes

in traditional costumes

performance during the procession

performance during the procession

performance during the procession

performance during the procession

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

Main Bazaar Road

vegetable vendors

procession at the Ladakh Festival

procession at the Ladakh Festival

monks at the procession

procession at the Ladakh Festival

polo players

procession at the Ladakh Festival

procession at the Ladakh Festival

entering the Leh polo ground

performers at the Ladakh Festival

performers at the Ladakh Festival

performers at the Ladakh Festival

Ladakh Festival

Leh Palace

dance performance

dance performance

colourful footwear

in traditional costume

dance performance

dance performance

dance performance

dance performance

performer

dance performance

dance performance

dance performance

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

colourful footwear

in traditional costume

performance at the Ladakh Festival

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

Namgyal Tsemo Monastery

Leh Palace

performance at the Ladakh Festival

nicely braided hair

dance performance

dance performance

dance performance

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

in traditional costume

During the procession, I also took a few video clips:

Even though the weather was again deteriorating with a light drizzle in the afternoon, we really enjoyed the colourful performances and the festive atmosphere!