Kohima: It is definitely a matter of great pride for everyone in Nagaland that the iconic Hornbill Festival is all set to be back this year from December 1. This will be the 23rd edition of the Hornbill Festival.
Unfortunately, during the last two years, there was no Hornbill Festival. In 2020, because of COVID19 pandemic the festival was cancelled, and in 2021, Hornbill Festival was abruptly cancelled after killing of 14 civilians in Mon district of Nagaland.
The Hornbill Festival is an annual festival event held from December 1 to 10 at the Kisama heritage village, about 12 kms from Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland. Organized by the Department of State Tourism and Department of Art & Culture, the Hornbill Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof.
It represents all ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals.’For tourists, it is an opportunity to experience the food, songs, dances and customs of Nagaland.
Euphoric with the return of Hornbill Festival after a gap of two years, the organizers are working round the clock to finalise the preparations for the festival, which is a major revenue earner for the state.
Hotel owners told Northeast News that all the rooms in the hotel are booked, and there is no vacancy. Tourists are now trying to book different home-stay facilities dotted in and around Kohima.
One of the major highlights of this festival is the Hornbill International Rock Festival, which is held at Indira Gandhi Stadium; local and international rock bands perform.
Statistics from the state tourism board reveal that 2.54 lakh visitors attended the Hornbill Festival in 2019, which was a record number of footfalls. It included 2,926 international visitors, 52,736 domestic visitors, and 1,98,736 locals.
