Hornbill Festival

Every year, during the first week of November, all the different tribes of Nagaland come down to the Kisama village about 10 km south of Kohima. For the next 7 days, they dance, sing, and create an ambience that tourists and photographers from all over the world come to witness. Hornbill Festival is the biggest cultural extravaganza of Nagaland and probably one of the best in India.

Nagaland is one of the easternmost states of India. It shares its border with Myanmar. Nagaland is home to numerous tribes that are famous for their unique and colourful costumes and traditions. The Festival's main objective is to bring together all the different tribes of Nagaland into a common platform where through music and dance and other art forms, there is community bonding, purification and rejuvenation. Nagaland is the land of festivals with one or the other festival occurring all the time. Hence they have named the Hornbill Festival the “Festival of festivals”.

The people of Nagaland are very fond of the Hornbill Bird. The large and exotic Hornbill can be found in Nagaland in 5 its different subspecies. The presence of the Hornbill is common in the folklore and art form of the Naga people. The traditional headgear of the Naga worrier is decorated with the hornbill's feather. This is the reason the festival is named after the Hornbill bird.

The first Hornbill Festival was organised in the years of 2000. During the initial years, the festival was held during the first 10 days of December and the government of Nagaland remained its chief patron and organiser. The venue was permanently set at Kisama where a Naga Heritage Village was set up permanently for this festival.

The hornbill festival is a photographer's delight. It is also an ideal place for those who love to explore traditional and cultural diversities. The Hornbill festival attracts both Indian and International travellers in large numbers every year.

We have been organising tours for the Hornbill Festival since the initial days of the festival. For your travel requirements regarding the Hornbill Festival, feel free to get in touch with our travel experts by filling up the form below with your requirements.