Naadam Festival
Mongolia
Naadam Festival
Last updated: 10 Aug 2026
Naadam Festival is the most famous festival and the biggest national holiday in Mongolia. It allows travelers to mingle with Mongolians and observe the authentic traditional culture. Naadam is not a tourist event, but a holiday Mongolians celebrate by competing and playing traditional sports and games. Mongolians dress in colorful traditional clothes and ride their most beautiful horses when attending the Naadam. The official celebration takes place throughout the country on 11 and 12 July, annually. Particularly, the State Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the most marvelous one, involving a wider range of and the most outstanding competitors of the games. Mongolia has 21 provinces, and 333 soums (small administrative divisions/towns). All provinces and soums celebrate their festivals locally. Some of the administrative units celebrate their festival on different dates depending on special celebrity occasions, anniversaries happening at certain times, pastureland and animal conditions, etc. Additionally, celebrating the Naadam on different dates than the big Naadam celebrated in Ulaanbaatar allows their local wrestlers, archers, and racehorses to take part in the big competitions and celebrations. Annually, thousands of tourists travel to Mongolia to attend this breathtaking event, including many journalists and TV channels, which broadcast the celebration worldwide. During the Naadam Festival you will enjoy the Mongolian 512 to 1024 wrestlers' wrestling competition and enjoy six racing categories of horse racing with horses ridden by 7-to 13-year-old girls and boys. Of course, Mongolian archery and ankle shooting competitions are also incredible and unique to watch it.
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