Wagah Border Closing Ceremony Guide – Amritsar, India/Pakistan

Each day (yes, 365 days/year), there is a bizarre ritual performed at the Wagah/Attari border in India/Pakistan where soldiers from both countries get into a standoff each afternoon as they shut down their overland borders. And as a tourist, you can watch this event from a VIP area!

India and Pakistan have a troubled history – I’m not going to get into that here – but basically what you need to know is that these two countries don’t really like each other all that much and the Wagah Attari Border Closing Ceremony is a symbol of these two countries’ rivalries. Here is a guide on how to visit the Wagah Border Closing ceremony from the India side.

RELATED: Check out all my India posts here!

How to visit the Wagah Border Closing Ceremony

The Wagah Border closing ceremony is best combined with a trip to Amritsar to see the famous Sikh Golden Temple. We arrived in Amritsar by plane from Delhi, but you can also take a train here from Delhi or even arrive by car with a driver.

For our trip to Amritsar, we hired a driver for the day with help from our hotel. We were able to visit the Golden Temple in the morning and do the border ceremony in the afternoon. You do not need to hire a driver for the day though – you will find plenty of drivers in Amritsar near the Golden Temple eager to take you out to the ceremony.

Cost: The border ceremony is free. As a foreigner you do not need to purchase any advance tickets. All you need is your passport and you will be escorted to the VIP seating area.

Hours: The border ceremony starts at 4:15 in winter (when we visited) and 5:15 in summer months.

Time commitment: The actual ceremony is 45 minutes long, though this will take up several hours of your time, as you need to leave Amritsar by 2pm for the 4:15pm show (or 3pm for the 5:15pm summer show) – this will give you enough time to go through the security checks and to settle into your seats before the ceremony starts. To give you an idea of how much time this took, we left Amritsar at 2pm and arrived back at our hotel a little after 6pm.

What can I bring to the Wagah Border Ceremony?

You must bring your passport and you’ll need some rupees if you want to buy snacks or souvenirs. No backpacks , purses or large bags are allowed. I brought a small wallet and my mirrorless camera with a 400mm telephoto lens attached (yes, it was heavy but I wanted great pictures!). I had no issues.

Attending the Wagah Border Closing Ceremony

Our driver parked in the on-site parking ramp and we made our way to the gates. This will feel like you’re attending a Major League Baseball game, rather than a ‘changing of the guard’/flag lowering type ceremony. Foreigners will go through a separate entrance and be escorted to special seating.

The foreigner seating is in an excellent location – you’ll be right up against the India/Pakistan border, so you’ll be able to see activity from both sides, including getting great views of the Indian Border Security Force doing their high kicks right up near the gate. You’ll also be able to watch the one-legged dancer from Pakistan perform his amazing routine:

Hats and flags can be bought everywhere in the arena – they even have vendors walking up and down the aisles, selling these souvenirs, as well as bags of popcorn – you know, just like at a baseball game! The hats and flags are very cheap – I think they were 100-200rs (which is about $1-2 USD).

Before the ceremony starts, women (both Indian women and women foreigners of all ages) are invited down to dance together in (what I can only describe as) a holding area on the floor of the stadium. It looked like a ton of fun, as they’re dancing, waving flags and jumping around to energetic Indian music (they even played “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, so it was fun to recognize a song and start dancing in my seat!)

As they’re dancing, a few members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) starts whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. Most of this is spoken in Hindi, so I didn’t know what was going on but it doesn’t matter – everyone is having a blast! A parade starts, mostly featuring women carrying India flags and dancing to more high-energy Bollywood music.

The parade eventually ends, the women and children are sent back to their seats, as the Border Security Force team starts taking the stage. Wearing camo, Kevlar vests, standard-issue Ray Bans, and strapped with machine guns, they start their march towards the Pakistan side. Over the loudspeaker, chants and cheers in Hindi are played, as the crowd repeats them – again, I don’t speak Hindi, so I had no idea what was going on, except that the crowd was whipped up in a patriotic frenzy.

After the BSF members are all in their spots at the border, the soldiers come out. These are the guys wearing the khaki colored uniforms with the peacock headdresses. Each soldier walks aggressively down to the border, pacing faster and faster toward Pakistan, performing high kicks, until it’s time to face off with their Pakistani counterparts, the Pakistan Rangers. Both sides give each other aggressive stares and fist pumps.

This is a very well-choreographed ceremony and bizarrely entertaining. As a foreigner, you can watch both sides, as the Pakistan Rangers are performing the same routine as the India Border Security Force! It was one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen.

After all members of each side have reached the border, the gate is opened and the crowd goes erupts in cheer! Both flags are lowered and folded on their respective sides, the gate is closed and the ceremony ends. All to repeat itself the next day.

Can I cross the border and watch from the Pakistan side?

Technically, yes, if you have a Pakistan visa. You’d have to arrive here before the ceremony starts to complete your crossing. I’ll be honest – the India side is much more exciting – with the singing, flag waving, and overall electric energy throughout the stadium. The Pakistan side? Well, the crowd was excited, but much more subdued.

Another note – the Wagah border is the only overland India/Pakistan border crossing open to foreigners, so if you’re planning to enter Pakistan from India (or vice versa) by land, this is where you go.

Wagah Border Closing Ceremony – Final Thoughts

This is an incredibly interesting event to do on your trip to India – I highly recommend it if you’re visiting anywhere in the Punjab state of India. It’s something you’ll never forget!

Pros:
I think I said it all – it’s fascinating!
You’ll see and feel the incredible sense of pride Indians have for their country
Cheap souvenirs and flags – buy them (it’s like $1 USD!) and really get into the spirit!

Cons:
VERY HOT in summer, and there is no shade.