Delhi · Month comparison
October vs May
October ranks #1 overall vs May at #12. Delhi's golden month — Dussehra and Diwali make October the greatest festival window in the world
October
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Delhi's golden month — Dussehra and Diwali make October the greatest festival window in the world
- ↑Dussehra: giant burning Ravana effigies light up the night sky across the city
- ↑Diwali: every rooftop, street and temple blazes with diyas and fireworks
May
#12 of 12 months
Avoid
Delhi's furnace month — 45–48°C heat makes outdoor sightseeing genuinely dangerous
- ↑Rock-bottom hotel prices — some of the cheapest rates in any major global city
- ↑Air-conditioned museums (National Museum, National Gallery) are excellent value
| Factor | October | May |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 8 | 1 |
| Value score | 5 | 8 |
| Crowd score | 7 | 2 |
| Events score | 9 | 2 |
| Atmosphere | 9 | 3 |
| Avg high temp | 32°C | 39°C |
| Monthly rain | 19mm | 23mm |
| Daily sunshine | 9.5hrs | 10hrs |
October trade-offs
- ↓Festival dates drive hotel prices to annual high — book 3–4 months ahead
- ↓Post-Diwali air quality drops sharply as firework smoke combines with stubble burning
May trade-offs
- ↓Dangerous heat (45–48°C) — any outdoor activity between 10am–6pm poses real health risk
- ↓Dust storms (andhi) can arrive with zero warning, reducing visibility to metres
Scores compare months within Delhi. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →