Kolkata's two Durga Puja VIP passes for 2026 compared: price, pandals covered, valid dates, pickup, the pandals only one pass gets you into, and which to buy.
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
For 2026 the main puja days run from Shashthi, Saturday 17 October, to Bijoya Dashami, Wednesday 21 October; see the full 2026 dates.
Lanterns and lights over a Behala street during the pujas. Photo: Goutam1962, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The two passes share 31 pandals. Another 23 are only on the Porikroma card and 21 are only on the Pujor Passport, which makes 75 different pandals if you hold both.
Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu) over the Hooghly. Photo: Ovjtphoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
These carry the Passport's case. Several of them draw some of the longest queues in the city.
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Its exclusives lean towards the east of the city, including Salt Lake, New Town, Ultadanga and Beleghata, plus two big central names, Santosh Mitra Square and Chaltabagan.
Lanterns and lights over a Behala street during the pujas. Photo: Goutam1962, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Some of the most famous pujas sell no VIP entry through either pass. Everyone joins the same queue, so timing is everything: go early in the morning, about 7 to 11 am, or after about 1:30 am, until around 4:30 am.
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Buy the Pujor Passport if:
Night crowds on the pandal trail in Behala. Photo: Snehangshu36, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Kolkata's two Durga Puja VIP passes for 2026 compared: price, pandals covered, valid dates, pickup, the pandals only one pass gets you into, and which to buy.
Pujo VIP passes 2026 → Next story: Beguni: crisp brinjal fritters for bhog All photo storiesMusic: Rhythm of Dhak a huge membranophone instrument from Bengal and Assam, used in Hindu religious festivals, especially Durga Puja, Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.