Hornbill Festival

Hornbill Festival is a vibrant and colorful festival, celebrated every year in the winters in the ethnically-rich state of North East India – Nagaland. The festival is managed and organized by the State Government and State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments of Nagaland. Nagaland Hornbill Festival is a treasure house of fun, entertainment, music, dance, folklore, food, shopping, all under one roof. If you want to explore an amalgation of cultural displays of the tribal people of India, you must definitely book for a Hornbill Tribal Festival Tour.

North East India is a haven for ethnicity, scenic beauty, food, culture, traditions and hospitality. If you are planning a North East tour, then Hornbill Festival Tour in winters is a must for travel freaks.

Location

A model village is built just to celebrate Hornbill Festival. The location of this village is in Kisama, which is about 10-12 kms from Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland. This is a heritage village in Nagaland. The different tribes of Nagas take part in this festival, which is also referred as the “festival of festivals”.

Hornbill Festival Dates

Hornbill Festival is celebrated every year from December 1 to 10. December 1 st is considered to be Nagaland Formation Day. The first event was organized in the year 2000. Since them, every year, the event is organized in a grand scale and hornbill festival tours have become one of the most popular North East Tours. It is open for everyone, far across the globe and the nation.

In 2020, it was organized virtually owing to the COVID pandemic. But, in 2021, plans are on for celebrating the festival on a huge scale. The objective of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of the state and display to the outside world its extravaganza and traditions.

Accommodation

The Hornbill Festival is one of the major tourist attractions in Nagaland. You have to book accommodations well in advance if you are planning to make this festival tour. A number of good hotels are available in Kohima. Taxis are easily available to take you from Kohima to Kisama and back. Another location where tourists prefer to stay is in Kigwema village, which is a walking distance from Kisama. Hotels and tourists lodges are much less-crowded here.

For a more adventurous stay, you can book for camping on the festival ground. Camping facility provide tents, sleeping bags, eco-toilets, water, phone charging points, and a cooking space. Tourists have a wonderful time at the campsite with bonfire, jamming, and other activities.

North East Hornbill Festival Tour Event Highlights

For tourists, this festival tour is a way of getting closer to the people and understanding the diverse culture of Nagaland. Start planning a festival tour to Nagaland for an out of the world travel experience in the midst of tribal people and tribal culture.

• Ethnic culture display: You will come across different stalls selling local handicrafts, handlooms, textiles made by the indigenous tribe. You will be amazed to see a wide variety of tribal huts, designs of which are dated back to primeval lifestyles. There are various other traditional instruments like drums, gongs, wooden carvings, sculptures by modern Naga artists on display. Each tribe of Nagaland showcases their distinct cultures and heritage to the people at the hornbill festival. The local people are in their tribal costumes which make the festival look all the more ethnic and traditional.
• Traditional Naga Morung: One of the prime attractions of the Hornbill Festival include Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition, which is an excellent sample of vernacular architecture.
• Tasty food paradise: A wide delectable array of Naga foods is available for the visitors. You can try all kinds of Naga traditional food and also get a chance to see the cooking process right in front of you during the Hornbill Festival days.
• Competitions: Various contests such as Naga chilly eating, pork eating, along with traditional games and sports, horse-riding, pony cart racing, and other customary competitions are organized. There are events like beauty competitions and fashion shows, Naga wrestling, traditional archery, horseback riding as well.
• Rock show: Another highlight of Hornbill Festival Tour is the Hornbill Rock Concert where music bands from across the country and even international bands perform and also compete with each other at this event. You will be enthralled to attend this rock festival in this hornbill festival tour.
• Night market: Hornbill festival is basically 24-hour celebrations for 10 days continuously. From morning till night, the whole village stays vibrant. There is a stunning Night Market that keeps you awake the entire night with the wide range of products in display.

Tourists get a chance to interact with the youths and elderly people of the tribes to understand them better. You get an opportunity to feel and experience the Naga way of life right from music, songs and dances, to cuisines to crafts, folklore and many more. Book your North East Tours and Hornbill Festival Tour with Truly India Tours, the best DMC for India for an excellent fun-filled holiday.