If you can time your visit to Chennai to coincide with one of the many traditional events or festivals on the annual calendar, you will find your experience here much more rewarding. Festivals provide a great means by which to get some interaction with the locals, and really see them letting loose and having a good time. The more religious-based events may not be as festive but give good insight to the culture here and are worth seeing.

Dance Festival at Mallapuram: sit in front of an ancient open-air stage next to the sea built 13 centuries ago and watch traditional South Indian dances such as bharathanatyam, Kathakali and Odissi among others, in one of Chennai’s most amazing events.

Tayagaraja Festival: this famous South Indian composer is honoured for his many Telugu songs at an annual event where young artists come to showcase their talents at the composer’s memorial.

Pongal: Chennai’s most important social event is the day when families all over the city gather together at dawn and boil fresh milk in a new earthen pot symbolic of a new year full of prosperity and happiness. A festive atmosphere permeates the city during this event.

India International Leather Fair: if you’re into leather goods, Chennai hosts one of India’s largest leather trade fairs, where everything from finished goods to raw materials can be bought.

Natyanjali Dance Festival: Chidarbaram, a virtual city of temples, plays host to a special tribute to Lord Nataraja, the ‘cosmic dancer’. The gold roof of the main temple is a stunning backdrop to performances of Tamil Nadu’s traditional dance, the bharathanatyam.

Arubathimoovar Festival: the Kapiliswar Temple in Mylapore district becomes the stage for a colourful and dynamic festival where the 63 saints of Shiva are taken from the temple and paraded through the city in a vibrant procession.

Tamil New Year: this essential yearly event is marked by every family and business in Chennai. An excursion to the temple to pray for a prosperous new year is the centre of the day’s activities, followed by adorning each house with a kolam and mango leaves.

Kavadi Festival: the devotees of Muruga carry a flower-covered decoration called a Kavadi all the way from the city up to sacred Palani Hill to the hypnotic rhythm of drums. This surreal event is one of the more interesting and passionate demonstrations of Hindu devotion in Chennai.

Chithirai Festival: this re-enactment of the marriage between Lord Sundareswarar and the Pandiyan Princess Meenakshi is an amazing spectacle as this ancient legend unfolds right before the crowd complete with a shining gold chariot ridden by Lord Vishnu.

Kanthuri Festival: this rather secular festival is interesting because it is devoted to Saint Quadirwali, who believed in doing good to people of all faiths. On the 10th day of the festival, the saint’s tomb is anointed with sandalwood and holy paste in a wonderful show of religious harmony.

Saral-Vizha: the picturesque Cortallam waterfalls is the site of the annual ritual bathing event as thousands of believers come to bathe in the healing waters of this impressive waterfall amid a flurry of cultural and religious performances and rituals.

Summer Festival: a wide range of events are scheduled in Chennai’s main summer festival which focuses on everything from appreciating the nature of the evergreen Ooty, ‘Queen of the Hill Stations’, to boat races and fruit shows in neighbouring towns. All things Tamil are celebrated during this month-long extravaganza.

Velankanni Festival: this impressive Christian festival celebrates the sacred spot where a group of 16^th century Portuguese sailors were saved during a shipwreck by praying to the Virgin Mary. Thousands of devotees clad in orange robes walk to the sacred spot where the sailor’s ship landed, and where they consequently built a holy shrine blessed with miraculous healing powers.

Navrati: the ‘festival of nine nights’ happens in every state of India, and in Tamil Nadu they put on a good show at every house in Chennai to pray to the goddess Sakthi for prosperity, good luck and health in the coming year.

Karthigai Deepam: Tamil Nadu’s Festival of Lights is a wonderful time of year to visit as the whole city is lit up with glittering earthen lamps placed outside each home. Firecrackers burst into the night and the mood around Chennai is positively joyous.

Music Festival: every December, Chennai celebrates its long heritage of classic carnatic music and dance with a performance schedule featuring India’s brightest stars at venues, temples and palaces all over the city and beyond.