In the midst of the endlessly undulating, stark yellow sands of the great Thar Desert, rises the golden sandstone city of Jaialmer, like a beautiful mirage, on top of the mythical Trikut hill. Once a year in winter, the empty sands around Jaisalmer come alive with the brilliant colour, music and laughter of the Desert Festival. The very rich and colourful Rajasthani folk culture is on show here for a few days. Handsome Rajasthani men and tall beautiful women dressed in their brilliantly hued picturesque costumes dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy.

The usual fair attractions are there - snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats, folk performers do brisk business. Camels, the lifeline of the desert, play a major role. Proud moustached villagers, dressed in their ethnic best come astride their picturesquely caparisoned camels to join in the camel dances and competitions of camel acrobatics, camel races and décor, camel polo, tug of war and the like.

 The Langa and Manganiyar folk musicians, the brisk pace of Rajasthani folk dances like Gair, Dhyap, Gangaur, Ghoomar, Moria, Terathal, Rajasthani handicrafts are the other attractions at the festival.