India’s festive food boom: Swiggy records over 2.2 lakh orders in an hour during Navratri and Durga Puja

India’s festive season is in full swing, and food delivery is emerging as a central part of celebrations. From Raksha Bandhan to Ganesh Chaturthi, and now Navratri and Durga Puja, people are increasingly turning to online platforms for convenience, indulgence, and to share festive meals with family and friends.

As per a report by Swiggy, categories like sweets, desserts, festive thalis, and gifting have seen a strong growth in online deliveries, highlighting how food has become an essential part of the festivities.

From September 22-30, Swiggy received over 99,200 orders for Sabudana Khichdi, more than 1.03 lakh orders for Vrat Thali, and nearly 70,000 orders for Sabudana Vada. Mumbai and Bengaluru led orders for Sabudana Khichdi, while Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Noida, and Lucknow topped the charts for Vrat Thali.

On the Ashtami day, orders jumped 11.6% from last year, with 2.2 lakh orders placed in a single hour between 8–9 PM as people broke their fasts. The value of orders also rose nearly 17%. Sweet treats dominated, with Choco Lava Cake, Butterscotch Mousse Cake, and Nuts & Dry Fruits Delights topping dessert choices.

Moreover, Swiggy’s quick delivery platform Bolt saw high activity in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi, with emerging towns like Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, and Vadodara contributing significantly.

Domino’s desserts, including Choco Lava Cake, Butterscotch Mousse Cake, Red Velvet Lava Cake, and gift hampers, were especially popular. The fastest delivery on Ashtami was completed in just 181 seconds in Gurugram.

In Kolkata, strong demand was registered during the Durga Puja days. Orders on Ashtami rose 11.3% from last year, with more than 60 orders per minute between September 28–30, peaking at 197 orders in a single minute. Biryani emerged as the top choice, with over 9,000 mutton and chicken biryani orders in just three days. One customer placed an ₹18,000 order featuring Chilli Lamb Dry, Thai Pork, and Mongolian Chicken.

Earlier in September, during Ganesh Chaturthi, Swiggy saw a nationwide surge in orders, with 2,28,102 modaks ordered. Mumbai (69,240) and Pune (30,433) led the trend.

During Raksha Bandhan in August, Swiggy recorded a 32.4% rise in orders, led by Bengaluru and Mumbai, while non-metro cities like Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Vadodara, and Ludhiana grew 38.1%.

These trends show that festive food delivery has become a key part of India’s celebrations, combining convenience with indulgence across both metros and emerging cities.