Shimla is gearing up for first-ever HIM-MSME FEST in 2026

Even with the delayed seasonal snowfall, the winter charm of Shimla-the erstwhile summer capital of India may have caused little disappointment ahead of festival season, but the 'Queen of the Hills' is now set to experience the first ever HIM-MSME Fest 2026. The fest will celebrate Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) beyond their traditional identities.

The year 2026 is set to open new opportunities for the state’s traditional entrepreneurial skills, which for decades have remained confined to the state’s physical boundaries or limited to subsistence livelihoods, unable to get global recognition and access to suitable markets.

Amidst Shimla’s mist-laden hills, the Department of Industries will be rolling out a red carpet for accomplished rural craftspersons, artisans, women entrepreneurs, and young start-up founders to open their horizons and explore opportunities beyond their traditional identities in the field of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Says Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) R. D. Nazeem, the proposed three-day HIM MSME Fest 2026, slated to start on January 3, is set to transcend Shimla’s traditional identity of politics, tourism, and heritage and will position the state as a dynamic hub of entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup culture.

“More than a conventional trade exhibition, the Fest will serve as a transformative platform for thousands of small entrepreneurs, artisans, women-led enterprises, and dynamic startup founders to realise their business aspirations,” he laments.

According to Nazeem, a 1995-batch IAS officer, it is through this initiative that products manufactured in Himachal Pradesh will be showcased before leading national and international e-commerce platforms, industry leaders, investors, and technology experts—opening pathways for local products to gain global recognition.

Key highlights of HIM MSME Fest 2026 will include exhibitions of handicrafts, handloom products, organic and agro-based goods, food processing units, the pharmaceutical sector, and innovation-driven start-ups.

In addition, expert-led sessions will equip entrepreneurs with practical insights into funding mechanisms, brand building, digital marketing, e-commerce strategies, and export opportunities.

Alongside this, Nazeem asserts that the Fest will prove to be a milestone in directly connecting Himachal Pradesh’s MSME sector with national and international markets.

For three days, Shimla will resonate with the spirit of enterprise, innovation, and opportunity. The event is expected to significantly boost economic activity and impart fresh momentum to the state’s development trajectory.

The state government and the Industries Department say they have already drawn up a detailed calendar of the activities for the three days of Fest, which the state’s Chief Minister, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, will launch in the presence of Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan.

Himachal Pradesh is known for its traditional handicrafts like shawls, wooden products, metal works, agro-based herbal products, high-end organic products, Kangra tea, carpets, handloom textiles, bamboo crafts, and Chamba rumal.

The state’s cooperative sector and women's self-help groups have also done remarkable work to make handmade items and dairy- and fruit-based branded products, though marketing remains a huge challenge. The upcoming HIM MSME FEST 2026 is thus viewed as a big leap forward in the start-up area.