{"id":552,"date":"2017-04-28T10:41:54","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T10:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexplore.org\/blog\/?p=552"},"modified":"2025-12-08T15:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T15:51:28","slug":"guide-to-hornbill-festival-nagaland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexplore.org\/blog\/travellers-guide-to-hornbill-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"A guide to Hornbill Festival Nagaland"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hornbill Festival, held annually in Nagaland, is a vibrant celebration of the state\u2019s rich cultural heritage and tribal traditions. This festival brings together all the major tribes of Nagaland, showcasing their unique customs, music, dance, and art. Visitors can enjoy traditional performances, participate in indigenous games, and explore Naga cuisine and crafts. It is known as the \u201cFestival of festivals\u201d and represents the cultural diversity of Nagaland’s tribes to encourage intercultural relations among them. The festival is held for 10 days from 1st December to 10th December every year<\/strong> and has lots of exciting activities under its wraps. The festival, held in Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima<\/strong>, has become a major attraction for tourists, offering a colourful glimpse into the dynamic tribal culture of Northeast India.<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to attend the first day of the Hornbill Festival during my trip to Kohima. I had already explored some of the best attractions in Kohima<\/a>, which I shared in my previous blog. With lots of excitement, I woke up early in the morning and got ready to attend the festival. After having breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to find a shared taxi that could take us to Kisama village, the venue of the festival. The journey was long, but the anticipation of what we would experience at the festival kept us going.<\/p>\n

Consider exploring the Hornbill Festival tour package<\/a> to plan an exceptional tour experience for yourself.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How to reach the Hornbill Festival?<\/h3>\n

The Hornbill Festival is held at the Kisama Heritage village in Kohima, Nagaland. To reach Kohima from Guwahati, we embarked on our journey by taking the early morning Jana Satabdi Express to Dimapur. From there, we hired a shared taxi to reach the capital of Nagaland. There are various trains that you can choose from to reach Dimapur from Guwahati, depending on your convenience. Shared taxis are also available throughout the day from the Dimapur railway station to Kohima. The shared taxi costs stat from Rs 500- 600 per person and takes around 3 hrs.<\/p>\n

From Kohima, you can take a taxi to reach the festival ground at\u00a0Kisama Heritage village.<\/p>\n

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Our Handpicked Nagaland Tour Packages<\/h2>\n

Tribal tour in Nagaland<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0 Nagaland tour with Hornbill Festival<\/a> \u00a0 Tribal & cultural tours in Northeast India<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Which days of the Hornbill Festival are the best days to attend?<\/h3>\n

First Day of the Hornbill Festival, the best day to\u00a0attend the festival<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

On reaching Kisama, we first saw the big ornamented gate of the Hornbill Festival. Passing the gate, we encountered young Naga boys and girls, dressed in their colourful traditional attire. They also adorned themselves with their weapons and shields, used during wars and hunting. These young boys and girls were representing the various tribes of Nagaland. They were welcoming the guests. The smiles and youthful vigour of this young lot mesmerised the guests and brought zeal of festivity to all.<\/p>\n

\"Kisama
Entrance of Kisama Heritage village<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tribal
Local tribes welcome guests to the Hornbill Festival in a traditional way by dancing and weaving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hornbill
Crowds gathered outside for the inauguration ceremony of the Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Hornbill
Hornbill Festival first day inauguration ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hornbill Festival: The Opening Ceremony<\/h3>\n

The festivities began with all the dances, folk songs and dance drama performed in groups. All the tribes of Nagaland made their presence felt with the performance of their form of dance and songs. The other neighbouring states of North East India also represented themselves through various cultural performances. We enjoyed to our heart\u2019s content as we swayed and smiled, listening to the soulful, energetic rhythms.<\/p>\n

\"Tribal
Dance performance at the Hornbill Festival, Nagaland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Night
Evenings are more joyful<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What food should I try?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Rice bear is a must try here. If you are non-vegetarian definitely try the smoked pork and prawn pickle<\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We saw various delicacies being prepared in the different Morungs. The most famous ones are roasted pork, chicken<\/strong>, fish<\/strong>, buffalo<\/strong>\u00a0etc cooked in the coal fire. There was rice beer, traditional stews made out of snail, dog, fish, etc. We were just spoiled for choices.<\/p>\n

We readied our taste buds and headed towards the Morung of different tribes.\u00a0 \u2018Kachari\u2019 tribe’s simple snacks attract us, and we had Rice beer<\/strong><\/em> with a special Prawn chutney<\/strong><\/em>. The combination tasted awesome. We saw others enjoying Pakodas, Fried Fish, etc, there.<\/p>\n

There were stalls especially readied for vegetarians, too. Snacks, sweets, hot and cold beverages were also available in different stalls. During lunchtime, the air of Kisama Heritage Village<\/strong>\u00a0was thick with the aroma of different delicacies prepared by the tribes.<\/p>\n

\"Vegetarian
A vegetarian dish at the Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tribal morungs and different tribes of Nagaland<\/h3>\n

Morungs are special huts where youth practice different skills like using a bow and arrow, wrestling and making different crafts, etc. In the Hornbill Festival, the Morungs took a very significant role where the people of different tribes stay in their hut during the festival and perform their cultural and traditional practices for the audience in front of the morung.<\/p>\n

Morgungs are a significant part of Naga culture<\/span><\/h6>\n
\"Hornbill
Decorated tribal hut of Khuamniugan tribe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All the Morungs were decorated with the traditional items belonging to the individual tribes. Representatives of those different tribes were dressed in their traditional attires, were standing in front of their individual Morungs, welcoming guests with smiles. Some of them were seen performing their traditional songs and dances in front of their Morungs. There was hustle and bustle everywhere, and the place was lively with people\u2019s laughter.<\/p>\n

During Hornbill Festival every member of Nagaland aspires to portray the best of Naga food and culture. We felt privileged to be a part of this mesmerizing festival.<\/span><\/h6>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Hornbill
Morungs are decorated in a traditional way at the Nagaland Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"phum
Morungs of Phum tribes in Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"long
Chang tribe Morung with a long drum, which is used to make sound together by many people<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"hornbill<\/p>\n

What to buy at the Hornbill Festival?<\/h3>\n

Everyone from kids to octogenarians finds something interesting to buy in the festival venue.<\/span><\/h6>\n

There are different stalls for shopping lovers too on the festival. One can shop for handicraft and handloom items, jewellery, decorative items and souvenirs. It also has a collection of traditional utensils, pottery and orchids. Buying a suitable gift for your loved ones is a must-do here. One can see the display of unique and unusual costumes, traditional events, art and craft. The cultural procession and distinctive events like bike rally, stone pulling competition show the versatility of this festival, making it more exciting.<\/p>\n

\"Shopping
Shopping at the Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"beautiful
Beautiful church at Kisama Heritage village<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After spending a memorable day at the Hornbill Festival<\/strong>, we decided to stay in a camp for the night.<\/p>\n

Camping at the Hornbill Festival<\/h3>\n

Camp stay is the best stay ever, and we like the ambience and the simply delicious food provided in the camp.\u00a0 \u00a0Seating beside the fire and enjoying the night of the Hornbill Festival was a memorable experience for us.<\/p>\n

\"camping
Campground at Hornbill Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"campin
Campfire at night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hornbill rock concert and other events<\/h3>\n

Every year, the schedule is different, so be plan accordingly.<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you are a die-hard fan of rock song then please keep in mind that rock concerts took place in other major cities of Nagaland from 2016 onward. It took place in Dimapur, Mokokchung and other cities during the 10 days of the Hornbill Festival.\u00a0 \u00a0During the Hornbill Festival, apart from dances, songs and indigenous games, world war 2 car rally, Naga chef competition, Naga chilli eating competition, Hornbill motor rally, Miss Nagaland beauty contest and Hornbill literature festival, Stone pulling competition, etc took place.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What else to see during the Hornbill Festival?<\/span><\/h3>\n

I have written enough about the cultural performance that took place in the Hornbill Festival. Apart from these, a flower show<\/strong> of stunning and vivid colourful flowers, a handloom and handicraft<\/strong> exhibition, a craft\u00a0<\/strong>escape<\/b>, a Hornbill photo fest<\/strong> and a horticulture show, etc, also took place in the Kisama heritage village.\u00a0 Kohima museum<\/strong> is also situated in a corner of Kisama village. You will be delighted to take a glance at the museum when you get tired of watching the cultural programs.<\/p>\n

My journey to the Hornbill Festival<\/strong> is indeed a lifetime experience. \u00a0I am happy to be able to join the festival and have some first-hand experience. \u00a0 Those who are interested in culture, indigenous food, scenic nature and wildlife, we highly recommend checking the Hornbill Festival Tour package<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What to Explore Beyond the Hornbill Festival<\/h3>\n

If you want to explore the best of Northeast India, check some of the best-selling tour packages by Nexplore Travel.<\/p>\n