Sustainable tourism in the world's largest religious fair: Maha Kumbh 2025

Purpose The purpose of this article was to analyse the sustainable practices utilized in the world's largest religious gathering of Maha Kumbh (2025). The use and implementation of these practices is a viable example of aligning mythology and sustainable living within tourism. The article studies these through a thorough review of all the sustainable practices that helped in providing clean and liveable conditions in the fair. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis of 53 articles from various print and digital media platforms was used to analyse and review the sustainable practices implemented in the fair. Findings The results of the content analysis highlighted the implementation of zero waste zones, plastic-free biodegradable cutlery, renewable energy usage through solar panels, eco-friendly portable sanitation facility being converted to bio gas and manure, green transportation through electric vehicles and shared responsibility through community involvement as some of the emerging themes from the analysis. Research limitations/implications An extensive thematic analysis could be used to validate the experiences of people related to the sustainable practices. Originality/value This research highlights the implementation of sustainable goals in a diverse country like India, specifically in a gathering of this size. The fair is still going on, and no research articles have been published on the same.