You would like to do a Ganesh Chaturthi event. Maybe at home. In your society perhaps. Perhaps in your office. No matter what it is, there needs to be a plan. Ganesh Chaturthi for the year 2026 will be on 14th September. Monday. It will allow you to prepare for the situation.
However, this is what it is. The majority of people tend to plan too late. Finally, they scramble around at the end of the game. Idol not booked. Decoration not done. Prasad not arranged. It becomes a mess. This guide will tell you how to organise a Ganesh Chaturthi event without all that stress. Step by step. Simple things. No confusion. Simply follow and do it.
First Decide - Home or Society or Office?
This is the first thing. Because the setup changes.
Home event means small. (5 to 20 people), Society event means bigger. (50 to 500 people). Office event means different crowd. Colleagues and families.
Pick one. Then plan accordingly.
Read More:
How to Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at Home?
Home celebration is simple. But you need to do things in order.
Step 1 - Bring the idol home
Get a clay idol. Not POP. Clay is better for the environment. Size depends on your space. 1 to 2 feet is fine for home.
Step 2 - Clean the place
Clean the spot where you will keep Bappa. Sprinkle some water. Make it fresh.
Step 3 - Set up the mandap
Use a small table. Cover it with a red or yellow cloth. Put a chowki if you have one.
Step 4 - Decorate
Flowers. Diyas. Rangoli. Peacock feathers. Keep it simple but nice.
Step 5 - Do the sthapana
This means placing the idol. Do it at the right muhurat. For 2026, the best time is 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM.
Step 6 - Daily pooja
Do aarti morning and evening. Offer durva grass, modak, and flowers.
Step 7 - Visarjan
After 1.5, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. As per your tradition. Do visarjan in water. If you have a clay idol, you can do it at home in a bucket also.
How to Organise a Society Ganesh Chaturthi Event?
This is bigger. So you need a committee.
Step 1 - Form a small team
5 to 7 people is enough. One for money. One for decoration. One for food. One for cultural programs. One for sound and lights.
Step 2 - Fix the budget
Ask for contribution from each flat. Rs 500 to Rs 2000 per family depending on your society size. Keep it optional. Some people will give more. Some will give less. That is fine.
Step 3 - Book the pandal
If your society has a community hall, use that. If not, set up a pandal in the open ground. Book it early. September is busy.
Step 4 - Order the idol
Book the murti at least 15 days before. Tell the murti maker the size you want. 3 to 5 feet works for most societies.
Step 5 - Plan the decoration
Lights. Flowers. Rangoli. Theme if you want. Keep one person in charge.
Step 6 - Arrange prasad and food
Modak is must. Also keep some simple prasad like laddu or sheera. If you are doing bhandara, plan for more people.
Step 7 - Cultural programs
This is the fun part. Keep aarti time fixed. Morning and evening. Then plan something for kids. Drawing competition. Fancy dress as Krishna or Ganesha. Bhajan night. Dance program.
Step 8 - Visarjan planning
Book the truck or tempo for visarjan day. Take permissions if needed. Arrange for traffic control if your society is on a main road.
Ganesh Chaturthi Puja Vidhi - Step by Step
Here is the simple puja vidhi you can follow.
1. Sankalp
Take water in your hand. Say your name, gotra, and the purpose of the puja.
2. Ganesh Sthapana
Place the idol on the chowki. Offer flowers at his feet.
3. Padya Puja
Wash his feet with water. Symbolically.
4. Arghya
Offer water with flowers and durva grass.
5. Snan
Give a bath to the idol. Use panchamrit if you have it. Panchamrit is milk, curd, honey, sugar, and ghee.
6. Vastra
Offer new clothes. Red or yellow is good.
7. Gandha
Apply chandan or haldi tilak.
8. Pushpa
Offer flowers. Red hibiscus is good. Durva grass is must.
9. Naivedya
Offer modak. Also fruits and sweets.
10. Aarti
Do aarti with diya. Sing "Sukhkarta Dukhharta" or "Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh".
11. Pushpanjali
Offer flowers with both hands. Say your prayers.
12. Visarjan
On the last day, do visarjan with the same vidhi.
Ganesh Chaturthi Pooja Items List
Here is what you need to buy before the festival.
For the idol:
- Ganesh murti (clay)
- Chowki or small table
- Red or yellow cloth
For decoration:
- Fresh flowers (red hibiscus, marigold)
- Durva grass
- Peacock feathers
- Diyas and oil
- Rangoli colors
- Lights (if society event)
For puja:
- Panchamrit (milk, curd, honey, sugar, ghee)
- Haldi
- Kumkum
- Chandan
- Akshat (rice)
- Supari
- Coconut
- Bananas and other fruits
- Modak or laddu for naivedya
- Agarbatti
- Kapur
- Matchbox
- Cotton wicks
- Small thali for aarti
For visarjan:
- Flowers for visarjan
- A bucket or access to water
- If going to river or sea, plan transport
How is Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrated?
People celebrate in different ways. But the main things are same everywhere.
- People bring Ganpati idol home or to pandal
- They do sthapana with puja
- Daily aarti happens morning and evening
- Bhajans and cultural programs happen
- Prasad is distributed
- On the last day, visarjan happens with a procession
- People say "Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya"
In Mumbai and Pune, the public pandals are huge. In homes, it is more personal and quiet.
Quick Checklist for Event Organisers
- Form committee - 5 to 7 people
- Fix budget and contribution
- Book idol - 15 days before
- Book pandal or hall - 1 month before
- Arrange decoration team
- Fix aarti timing - morning and evening
- Plan cultural programs for kids
- Arrange prasad and food
- Book visarjan transport
- Take permissions if needed
FAQs
1. How do I organise a Ganesh Chaturthi event at home?
Get a clay idol first. Not POP. Clay is better. Clean the space where you will keep Bappa. Put a small table and cover it with red or yellow cloth. Decorate with flowers and diyas. Do sthapana at the right time. For 2026 it is 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM on September 14. Then do aarti morning and evening daily. Visarjan after 1.5, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. Whatever your family tradition is.
2. How is Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated?
People bring Ganpati home or to pandals. They do puja and sthapana. Daily aarti happens morning and evening. Bhajans and cultural programs happen in societies. Prasad is given to everyone. On the last day visarjan happens with a procession. People say Ganpati Bappa Morya Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya. In Mumbai and Pune the public pandals are huge. At home it is more simple and personal.
3. What are the puja items needed for Ganesh Chaturthi?
You need panchamrit. That is milk curd honey sugar and ghee. Then haldi kumkum chandan. Akshat means rice. Supari. Coconut. Fruits. Modak for naivedya. Agarbatti. Kapur. Cotton wicks. Aarti thali. Durva grass is must. Red hibiscus flowers are good. Diya and oil for aarti. That's the basic list.
4. What is the puja vidhi for Ganesh Chaturthi?
First do sankalp. Take water in hand and say your name and purpose. Then sthapana. Place the idol on chowki. Offer flowers at his feet. Then padya puja. Wash his feet with water. Then arghya. Offer water with flowers and durva. Then snan with panchamrit. Offer new clothes. Apply chandan tilak. Offer flowers. Offer modak and fruits. Do aarti. Then pushpanjali. On last day do visarjan with same vidhi.
5. How many days should I keep Ganpati at home?
Depends on your family tradition. Some keep 1.5 days. Some keep 3 days. Some 5 days. Some 7 days. Some full 10 days. All are fine. There is no hard rule. Just follow what your family has been doing. If you are starting new then 1.5 or 3 days is easy for beginners.
6. Can I do visarjan at home?
Yes you can. If you have a clay idol then you can do visarjan in a bucket of water at home. Then use that water for plants. Don't throw it in drain. If you have POP idol then don't do this. POP does not dissolve in water. It will block your drain. For POP idol you have to give it to the visarjan collection centre.
7. What is the best time for Ganesh Sthapana in 2026?
The best time is Madhyahna. In Delhi it is 11:02 AM to 1:31 PM on September 14. But check your city time also. Because time changes from city to city. You can check online or ask your local pandit ji. Don't do sthapana after sunset.
8. How much does it cost to organise a society event?
Depends on your society size. For 50 flats Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per flat is enough. For bigger societies Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 per flat works. This covers idol decoration pandal sound lights prasad and cultural programs. Keep contribution optional. Some people give more some give less. That is fine. Don't force anyone.
