One of the features of Vaisnavism is the high number of festivals in the year. Festivals provide an opportunity to remember Krishna and His devotees and to increase one's spiritual practice. The year's major festivals are marked by fasting, usually followed by feasting.

The Vaisnava year is based on a lunar calendar rather than a solar calendar. This means that the dates of the festivals vary from year to year.

A detailed explanation of the major festivals will be given later.