The most famous festivals are the Atariya mandir mela and the Chaiti mandir mela at the nearby towns of Rudrapur and Kashipur.

According to a folktale, when king Rudra was passing through, his chariot got stuck in marshy land. He decided to build a temple and well at that place. This is the history of the present Atariya temple at Rudrapur. Every year during 'Navratras', a large fair is held here for 10 days and thousands of devotees come to seek the blessing of the Goddess Atariya.

The Chaiti mela is the famous fair at Kashipur. Kashipur was known as Govishan during the time of Harsha and the ruins of the large settlement of those days can still be seen near the city. Kashipur is named after Kashinath Adhikari, the founder of the township and one of the officers of the Chand rulers of Kumaon. Every year in the month of March during 'Navratras' a grand fair is held at the temple of Chaiti Devi, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims.