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Festivals  » Nagaland Festivals  » Hornbill Festival

Hornbill Festival

Hornbill Festival
Place : Naga Heritage village, Kisama, Nagaland
Significance : Showcases the culture and tradition of Naga Tribes
Date: 1.12.2023 - 10.12.2023

Hornbill festival in Nagaland christened as the 'Festival of the Festivals' showcases the Naga culture and tradition of all 17 Naga tribes of Nagaland and neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.  Several events are held over the ten days of the festival, beginning from 1st December, at Naga Heritage village, Kisama located about 12 km away from the Naga capital Kohima.

An ethnic wooden craft 'Naga Traditional Welcome Gate' with traditional fineries of the Naga tribes welcomes visitors to the Naga Heritage village. The village has been designed with structures and features to give you an experience of a traditional Naga village. Of the exhibits Naga morungs or traditional huts of different tribes made with bamboo and cane and decorated with wood carvings and hunting trophies are spectacular. During the festival, Naga tribes perform traditional dances and music, along with indigenous games and sports, including wrestling.

Organised by the State tourism and Arts & Culture departments, the festival aims to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and showcase its ethnic customs and traditions to the world. Besides the traditional extravaganza, events include Hornbill International Rock Contest (HIRC), Hornbill International Musical Festival, North East Cultural Day, Hornbill Charity Concert-cum-Ball, Hornbill Master Chef Competition, Hornbill Snooker Championship, Hornbill National Dance Competition, Miss Nagaland Contest, Hornbill Annual Cycle Rally, Kids Carnival, 'Glocal' (Glocal) Film Fest, Vintage World War II Motor Rally, International Car Rally and many other competitions. Over 25 bands including bands from the US, UK, Norway, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia take part in the Hornbill International Rock Contest (HIRC) held for 4 days at the Naga Solidarity park during the festival. While the Horbill shopping festival promotes the display and sale of indigenous Naga crafts and products, Food fest give Naga food the desired focus.    

Several dignitaries from North East and other states, diplomats, and journalists from other countries grace the occasion. Thousands of visitors from South Asian countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other states in India takes part in the festival. The first day of the Horbill festival 2013 coincides with 50 years of attainment of Nagaland statehood on 1st December 1963.

Contact Address : 

The directorate of Tourism
Opp. Indoor stadium, Raj Bhavan Road
Kohima, Nagaland - 797001
Telefax : +91-370-2243124

Send mail : Contact Now

How to reach Kohima :

A very convenient way for reaching Kohima is to take a train or flight to Dimapur and then rent a taxi to Kohima. Dimapur has an airport, the only one in Nagaland, and has a main railhead on the North Eastern Railway Track which is well connected to Guwahati and Kolkata. By road, one can take a bus or rent a car from Guwahati to Kohima which will take 6-7 hours.

All tourists require an entry permit to visit Nagaland. Click for details




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