Gwalior Trade Fair

One of the largest fairs of Madhya Pradesh, this trade fair was started in 1905 by Maharaj Madhav Rao Scindia, the king of Gwalior. A unique blend of art and business the Gwalior Trade Fair has behind it a history of 110 years. Spread over an area of 104 acres, the fair is held at the Mela Ground at the Race Course Road. The items sold range from clothes, electric appliances, pottery to cattle.

Gwalior Trade Fair 2019 Dates

The Mela is usually held midway through December and lasts for a month, spilling over into the new year, giving attendees the perfect avenue to do all that holiday shopping.

Venue of Gwalior Trade Fair

Hosted annually in the historically important city of Gwalior, the trade fair is held over a 100-acre wide Pragathi Maidan or the Mela ground. Located at Race Course Road, Gwalior, it lies within 5 km of Gwalior junction.

Tickets

An entirely ticket-free function, the Gwalior trade fair is free to anybody that wants to visit the fair and the stalls that are set up.

Where to stay?

Gwalior has numerous up-scale accommodation options such as the Taj Usha Kiran Palace if that kind of stay is what one is looking for. However, a proliferation of serviced apartments offer visitors the options of staying within any budget.

What to do at Gwalior Trade Fair? Competitions & Activities

With over 3000 kiosks and over 1000 permanent booths, the Gwalior trade fair is nothing short of a carnival of colours and sounds. It is so much more than just a gathering where people can buy goods and commodities, and there are enough and more activities to arrest everybody’s attention. The sheer volume of the stalls and pavilions that are set up every year and the variety of the products that are offered up is incredible. Small-scale artisans that sell locally manufactured pottery and furniture set up their booths next to their counterparts from across the country selling their respective wares. Big multinational and government corporations also jostle with each other at the mela ground, all vying for the customers’ attention. This environment of even competition encourages entrepreneurs and artisans to display their goods to a wealth of visitors and is an opportunity for them to grow as enterprises. The trade fair is divided up into various sectors, such as the electronic sector, sports and toys sector, food sector, all the help the visitor find what they need easily.

However, the Gwalior trade fair is not merely about the stalls that sell their wares. Magicians, carnival rides, food stalls, giant wheels, and a children’s fair all serve to ensure that anybody that goes to the trade fair will be thoroughly entertained even after they’ve done their shopping. Poets come together to recite their work to the public at the Hasya Kavi Samellan. Mushairas and qawwali competitions are conducted that fill the evening sky with the lyrical musings of Urdu poets. Cultural nights and live music performances ensure that there is no shortage of reasons for a visitor to stay long after they’ve found what they were looking for. A dog-show that’s conducted once the cattle fair has been concluded gives all dog-lovers to marvel at the prowess of their canine friends. An entire section of the trade fair is dedicated to outdoor swings, or jhoolas, that will be sure to make the little ones that make this trip squeal with delight.

History of Gwalior Trade Fair
First established as a fair where people can buy and sell cattle in 1905 by the Maharaja of Gwalior, the Gwalior trade fair has exploded in the last hundred years to become one of the largest trade fairs in India, and in the world. The fair has evolved to encompass all manner of goods and commodities, but the cattle fair is still the principal attraction of the fair, with over a whopping 10,000 animals changing hands each year. Hosted across more than a 100 acres of land with massive numbers of stalls selling everything from cars to art to home appliances within its milieu, the Gwalior trade fair is one of the events in the North Indian calendar that is keenly anticipated.

How to get there

Gwalior is well-connected to all major Indian cities through all three modes of transport; air, rail, or by road. Lying just under 10 km outside of Gwalior city centre, one can easily get from Gwalior airport to the city by hiring a cab. Getting to Gwalior by rail is also easy, one just has to get down at Gwalior Junction Station, and the mela ground is only about 2 km from there.

One of the most highly anticipated events of the year, the month-long extravaganza of the Gwalior trade fair is characterized by lights, music, food, and shopping of products from all over the country. The Gwalior trade fair is a great excuse to go and visit one of the most historically important cities in India.