MUSSOORIE, Dec 26, 2025 — The Uttarakhand Food Festival has taken centre stage at this year’s Mussoorie Winterline Carnival, drawing visitors eager to taste authentic mountain cuisine and enjoy local culture during the holiday season. The festival is being organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board in coordination with the local administration.
The Winterline Carnival — running this week across Mall Road, Landour, Shaheed Sthal, and Garhwal Terrace — celebrates Mussoorie’s rare winterline phenomenon, a unique visual band that appears during sunset in the colder months. Alongside cultural parades, music events, and adventure activities, food has emerged as the strongest crowd-pulling theme this year.
Local vendors are serving traditional dishes rooted in Uttarakhand’s culinary heritage, including millet-based recipes, hearty mountain soups, bhatt ki dal, mandua-based breads, and desserts that showcase regional flavours. Visitors can also join interactive experiences such as folk dance performances, live music, culinary storytelling sessions, and hands-on cooking demonstrations.
Celebrity Food Explorer Anubhav Sapra and chef Smriti Hari are participating in curated demonstrations, helping bridge traditional recipes with modern food presentation. A dedicated Food Bloggers’ Meet is underway as well, aimed at placing Uttarakhand’s cuisine on wider national and digital platforms.
Organisers say the food festival is helping sustain local livelihoods while strengthening Uttarakhand’s tourism appeal in winter — historically a lean travel period for the hills. Local stallholders add that the exposure is giving authentic regional recipes a renewed voice in the face of evolving visitor tastes.
Officials hope the strong public response to this year’s festival will support continued investment in winter tourism across Mussoorie and other Uttarakhand destinations.
Source – Times of India
