Festivals drive ₹500-cr decoration business in Gujarat, with China supplying over 200 items

The budget for Indian festivals once focused mainly on simple garlands and floral décor, but today, the festive decoration market has expanded to include more than 200 types of religious and seasonal décor products running into crores of rupees.

In Gujarat alone, this seasonal business has now crossed the ₹500 crore mark. Be it Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Diwali, or even weddings, festive decorations have become an integral part of celebrations. From goddess idols to themed décor setups, the market for such items has grown even larger than the traditional firecracker, sweet, and snack markets over the past five years.

Chinese companies are reportedly designing and manufacturing festival decorations tailored to the demands of different Indian regions. In Ahmedabad, areas such as Kalupur, Delhi Darwaja, Relief Road, Nikol, Naroda, Science City, Vadaj, and Satellite see crowds at festival decoration stores comparable to those at sweet shops and firecracker stalls. Decorative items like LED light strings, artificial flowers, zari strips, and plastic hangings have become a part of modern lifestyle. Even a simple society garba or small pandal often spends nearly 50% of its event budget on décor.

Local wholesalers reveal that the market offers over 300 types of festive decoration items, with around 200 of them manufactured in China. Items such as deity’s clothes, flowers, and thermocol thrones are still made in India, particularly in Gujarat and Rajasthan, which are known for producing garments and accessories for deities.

Ten years ago, large-scale garba events were the main drivers of decoration demand, with commercial decorators handling big budgets. Now, even small households allocate a decoration budget for every festival. Many families prefer easy-to-use home decoration kits imported from China, making Indian buyers heavily dependent on Chinese imports for festival décor, similar to toys and electronics.