Off-roading is a majorly fun activity, and with the proliferation of SUVs and 4x4s across India, the timing was ripe for an off-road event series. Enter Mudfest Delhi, an NCR-based 4x4 event series that debuted in October 2025 to great success and, within a year, returned for its second iteration, which proved just as successful. Gurugram’s Tandem Hills off-road course was the location of choice for Mudfest Delhi 2026, which was held on Sunday, July 5.
Mudfest Delhi 2026: It’s all in the name
Fun is the central tenet of Mudfest Delhi. You show up to the event either by yourself or with family/friends and participate on an off-road obstacle course using your own car. At this year's event, the obstacles simulated various off-road situations that one may encounter on a real trail, and were built to be as close as possible to real-world conditions. And as Mudfest Delhi founder and organiser Nabhya Lalwani put it, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose. It's all about having fun." Impressively, Lalwani is just 16 years old and oversees Mudfest Delhi's operations, which speaks to his passion.
The off-roaders at Mudfest Delhi were an incredible sight to behold. Alongside the expected crop of Mahindra Thars and Maruti Jimnys, highlights included a lifted red Jeep Wrangler with massive 40-inch off-road tyres, a modified first-gen Thar, rocking a solid axle and 37-inch tyres (pictured above), and a bright blue Gypsy with a raucous straight-piped exhaust.
There were brawny, imposing 4x4s everywhere the eye could see, including from clubs like Trailhunters4x4, Team MMG, Aficionado Crew, among others. And on the magnanimously rainy day Mudfest Delhi 2026 was held, 4x4 was a necessity.
As for the obstacle course itself, Tandem Hills is reputed for its challenging sections. These include slopes, steep and high enough to be considered mini-hills, an exceptionally deep mud pit, and an arduous strip of camel humps. The camel humps were particularly fun to witness, with many off-roaders nearly tipping over to their sides while attempting to traverse them.
Another exciting sight was the mud pit, where off-roaders carefully navigated a steep decline leading straight into a large pool of muddy water, and then sped up the incline on the other side to make it out. The mud pit is trickier than it seems, as evidenced by the few cars, including a Jeep Wrangler and a Ford Endeavour, that got stuck inside and had to be winched out.
Mudfest 2026: Opposite lock
While the off-roading was more than enough fun by itself, Mudfest Delhi 2026 went the extra mile by featuring drifting sessions as well, which were managed by renowned drifter and racing driver Jasmehar Singh Jubbal. Among the cars sliding about on the skid pad were a Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe, a BMW M8, a BMW M4 Competition, a BMW 520d (E60), a Mahindra BE 6, and even a Toyota Fortuner!
All told, there are few better ways to spend a day than at Mudfest Delhi. If you live in or around Delhi-NCR and love off-roading, this is one event you absolutely shouldn’t miss.
