Hornbill festival

Hornbill Festival 2021– all you need to know

Author: Tourgenie
Date: 2021-11-17

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Often referred to as the “festival of festivals”, the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland is a 10-day cultural extravaganza celebrating the age-old traditions of the 16 tribes of Nagaland through art, dance, music, and food. The festival aims to ensure the preservation of Naga culture and is held every year. After a 2-year gap, Nagaland is again gearing up to organise the festival this year. What started out as a cocktail of cultural exhibits is today one of the most celebrated festivals of the country.

Hornbill Festival 2021: 1st-10th December, 2021

Location: Heritage Village, Nagaland (10 km from Kohima)

Book the Hornbill Tour Package

Hornbill culture dance

 Assembly for a group picture before the performance 

Hornbill Festival Highlights

Let’s check out what adventure Hornbill bags for you. 

·         Before the festival begins spend some time on Morungs – a Morungs is a place where the young Naga boys learn to become Naga warriors.

·         Hornbill is a rare occasion where all the tribal communities gather on the same ground. This is the perfect time to converse with the tribal communities about their lifestyle, their attires, and of course about their headhunting days.

·         Enjoy the tribal performances and the biggest rock concert of the Northeast.

·         Get enthralled by the thrilling traditional sports activity such as horse riding, pony cart race, and traditional archery.

·         Enjoy the finest delicacies signifying the Naga culture at the stalls put up near the festival premises.

·         Challenge others and take part in traditional contests including Pork Fat Eating and King Chilly Eating contests.

·         Buy traditional handmade handicrafts and paintings.  

Souvenir shop at Hornbill Festival

Souvenir shop at Hornbill Festival

How to Reach

The main festival takes place at Heritage village, which is just 10 km away from Kohima. To reach Kohima, you will have to either take a flight or train to Dimapur.

Air: The nearest airport to Kohima is in Dimapur, at a distance of 74 km. Taxies to Kohima are easily available outside the airport.

Rail: The nearest railway station to Kohima is in Dimapur, at a distance of 69 km. Taxis to Kohima from here are easily available.  

Where to Stay

There is a wide range of hotels and homestays available in Kohima. There are also special tents available near the ground.

Note that during festival, the prices are four times higher, so haggle!

 Cultural performance at Hornbill festival

Cultural performance at Hornbill festival 

Permit and Prices 

If you are not an inhabitant of Nagaland, you will be needing an Inner line permit (ILP) to enter the state. The fee for the permit ranges from INR 50-100. You can apply for it on www. ilp.nagaland.gov.in.

The entry fee to the Hornbill Festival is INR 20, INR 30 for DSLR camera, and INR 50 for video camera. The toilet charge is around INR 10-20.

 The participants of the Hornbill Festival

The participants of the Hornbill Festival

Traveller’s Tips

Although the locals here are super friendly, it’s important to remember to respect the tribes and what this festival represents.

Do not expect strong cell reception. The tents and hotels do have Wi-Fi services though. 

Carry warm clothes to beat the cold (or drink rice beer and become invincible to the freezing cold temperatures).  

If you want a good picture with the tribal communities, visit the tribal hut early in the morning (8-9 AM) when it is less crowded. 

Watch our video to virtually transport yourselves to Nagaland. 



10 Comments

  • Sakshi     November 18, 2021

Looking forward to attending this fest.


    • TourGenie     November 18, 2021

    You must! Since you are planning to attend, you might wanna take a look at our Hornbill package. https://www.tourgenie.com/nagaland-tour-packages/hornbill-festival-kohima


  • Tenzing     November 18, 2021

Interesting blog article. Very informative.


    • TourGenie     November 18, 2021

    Thank you soo much. I'm sure you want to attend the festival now. If yes, we have a perfect hornbill package for you. Contact us! 


  • AshishPradhan     November 22, 2021

WOW THIS FESTIVAL IS ON MY BUCKET LIST


  • Lorenzo Moktan     November 22, 2021

This article has all I needed to know about Hornbill.


  • Rohinee Sharma     November 22, 2021

I'm soo ready for Hornbill 2021.


  • Nirmala Adhikari     November 22, 2021

Can you also book flights for the same?


  • Poonam gupta     November 22, 2021

Finally after 2 long years


  • Tenzing Pradhan     November 22, 2021

Wow....Hornbill again. Was an absolute pleasure last time around. You airport to airport service was absolutely great. Did not have any trouble for the arrangements. Can you tell me what all arrangements could be done from your end. I am looking for a full solution i.e. flight, vehicle, hotels and also ILP. Looking for a solution like previous visit..right from my pick up point and back to the same. So that my trip is fully chauffeured and hassle free.


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