India Carpet Expo

The India Carpet Expo is the carpet export council's own fair for hand-knotted, hand-woven and tufted carpets and floor coverings. It sits in Bhadohi, inside the carpet belt itself, so you see the product a short drive from where it's woven. It has the most generous hosted-buyer package we've found at any Indian fair.

Next Edition

The organiser hasn't announced the 51st edition's dates yet. Watch indiacarpetexpo.com (opens in a new tab) and register there once they're out.

At the 50th edition, registered overseas buyers, sourcing consultants, media and invitees could attend all four days, and general visitors got in only on the last day. If the next edition runs the same way then do your serious buying on the trade-only days.

The Colour Problem, And Why Bhadohi Is The Place To Fix It

In September 2026 a thread on a US sellers' forum warned buyers off Indian rug sellers, noting "a lot of these other rug listings are from the same place Bhadohi" (r/Etsy, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). One US buyer had ordered an 8x10 rug listed as pink - "the rug they sent me is gray" (r/Etsy, April 2026 (opens in a new tab)). The listings used renders, and the sellers blamed the lighting.

That's a retail story, but the cause is one every importer meets. A made-to-order carpet is dyed and woven after you order, so the photo proves nothing. Other US buyers on the same forums were happy with rugs from India, so this isn't about Bhadohi's skill. It's about skipping one approval step.

The fix is a strike-off or a set of yarn poms, dyed in the actual yarn and approved by you in daylight before weaving starts. At the Expo you can see that process in person, ask each exhibitor how they handle colour approval and dye-lot variation, and visit a dye house and a loom on the same trip. Write the approved pom reference into the order. Our quality control in India page covers the inspection steps after that.

Who Exhibits

CEPC, the Carpet Export Promotion Council, organises the fair. Exhibitors are council members, which means registered exporters with a track record.

Membership doesn't prove an exhibitor weaves the goods. In the carpet belt, weaving is spread across village looms, and exporters design, source yarn, manage the weavers and finish the pieces. That's how the trade has worked for generations, and it's normal. Ask who weaves your order, where, and who answers for its quality.

If you're buying rugs sold as Kashmiri, ask for origin in writing. A Srinagar maker told a US asker in 2025 that many Kashmiri showrooms sell rugs woven in Jaipur or Bhadohi, and that genuine Kashmir pieces carry a scannable GI tag (r/Rugs, 2025 (opens in a new tab)). That's one maker's view, so check the tag rules with the GI registry before you rely on them.

Hosted-Buyer Terms

As published for the 50th edition in September 2026, selected overseas buyers get up to two nights at a designated five-star hotel with breakfast, shuttles from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the Expo Mart, and an airfare reimbursement (CEPC hospitality package (opens in a new tab)).

The airfare comes in three tiers. Buyers from 19 named countries, including the US, Canada and Australia, are in the first tier, BRICS buyers in the second, and everyone else in the third. We don't publish the amounts, so check them on CEPC's page. BRICS buyers also get a networking dinner.

It's all at CEPC's sole discretion, after checks on your documents, and the reimbursement needs your travel papers. Expect to prove you're a real importer.

Visa And Getting There

Use the e-Business Visa, apply at least two weeks ahead, and ask CEPC for an invitation letter. The nearest airport is Varanasi, 50 to 60 minutes by road from Bhadohi. The hosted package covers the shuttles.

What To Expect

A single-sector fair in a single-sector town. You meet many carpet exporters in one hall and can visit weaving units nearby. The hosted package buys the organiser a meeting schedule, and you'll be expected to sit through it, which is a fair trade if the meetings match your category. Ask who's on your list before you accept.

Past Editions

• 50th edition, 4 to 7 October 2026, Carpet Expo Mart, Bhadohi (India Carpet Expo, read 28 September 2026 (opens in a new tab)). The organiser's site doesn't list earlier editions, so we don't either.

Sources

• India Carpet Expo (opens in a new tab), official site, read 28 September 2026
• Hospitality package for overseas buyers (opens in a new tab), read 28 September 2026
• CEPC events (opens in a new tab), read September 2026

Where SourcingSync Helps

Want meetings set up before you fly, exhibitors pre-screened against their public records, and colour approvals and loom visits run for you? SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does it.

All India fairs: /india/fairs/ · All fairs: /fairs/