Mongolia’s Naadam Festival
Each July, Mongolia pauses for Naadam – a nationwide celebration that blends sport, history, and a powerful sense of belonging. From town fields to city stadiums, wrestling, horse racing and archery bring families and communities together in a shared expression of pride, heritage and continuity, making Naadam not a performance for visitors but a moment when the country celebrates itself.
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Naadam: Mongolia’s National Celebration
Mongolia’s Naadam Festival is a national celebration. It is one of Mongolia’s top sporting events, a celebration of culture and tradition and pride, and a vibrant festival. It is a celebration of first-class sportsmanship, ordinary people taking pride in their country and century-old traditions melded together. It is also a time when Mongolians celebrate who they are, how proud they are to be Mongolian, their heritage, and the qualities that produced the warrior nation of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan. It is not a tourist event.
Naadam is also a favoured public holiday with Mongolians taking road trips across their country to see family or visit their homeland. (Ulaanbaatar’s roads feel eerily empty during this period whereas the roads and sites outside of the capital (especially rivers and lakes) can get congested.) Mongolian families can be loud and boisterous but are also typically a lot of fun and very hospitable so take the time to get to know them – it makes for a great cultural experience.
Naadam Festival: Quick Facts
- When: Every July, with the State Naadam held on 11–12 July in Ulaanbaatar
- Where: Celebrated nationwide
- What it marks: Mongolia’s statehood, heritage, and long-standing sporting traditions
- Main sports: Wrestling, horse racing, archery, and ankle bone shooting (shagain kharvaa)
- Tourism note:
Naadam is a national sporting and cultural celebration — it is not staged as a tourist festival.
State Naadam:
Held at Naadam Stadium, Ulaanbaatar
Horse racing takes place at Khui Doloon Khudag, 40 km west of the capital
The Opening Ceremony begins at 11:00 am on 11 July and is officially opened by the President of Mongolia
Tickets: Required for the stadium opening ceremony and wrestling finals. Archery and ankle bone shooting are usually free to attend
Provincial Naadams:
Take place throughout July and August, with dates often confirmed only a few weeks in advance. Countryside Naadam celebrations are free to attend.
Danshig Naadam:
A separate Buddhist festival honouring Zanabazar, usually held in June near Ulaanbaatar
Eriin Gurvan Naadam – The Three Sports Of Skill And Strength
Naadam (or given its full title, Eriin Gurvan Naadam) represents the Three Manly Sports of horse racing, wrestling, and archery. But actually, there are four as there’s also shagain kharvaa – ankle bone shooting.
The Historical Perspective: How Naadam Began
‘The Naadam Festival is a unique demonstration of this mixing of eras in Mongolian culture…. Emblematic of Mongolia’s independence and national identity, Naadam took a new turn, as it became the country’s national day, a commemoration of the two revolutions that brought the country to its newly redefined national identity. Naadam has also more recently been a celebration of the foundation of the Mongolian Empire by Chinggis Khan.’
Danshig Naadam – The Buddhist Festival of Zanabazar
Another Naadam you may have read about is the Danshig Naadam Festival which is also a Buddhist religious festival organised in cooperation with Mongolias’s Gandan Monastery. Danshig Naadam is a celebration of the life and teachings of Zanabazar, the first Buddhist leader of Mongolia and was first held in 1639 to commemorate his enthronement. As well as the traditional sports, it also features the traditional Buddhist mask dance known as Tsam. The Danshig Naadam Festival is typically held at Khui Doloon Khudag (40km west of Ulaanbaatar) on August 6th and 7th but be prepared for the location and dates to change.
Naadam Across Mongolia: From Ulaanbaatar to the Smallest Communities
The national event is held at the Naadam Stadium (also known as the National Sports Stadium) in Ulaanbaatar on July 11th and 12th. (Horse racing takes place at Khui Doloon Khudag 40km west of UB with races taking place in the week prior to Naadam and during Naadam itself.) The dates are the anniversary of the 1921 Revolution led by the Mongolian revolutionary Sukhbaatar that brought independence from the Qing Dynasty.
Inside The Opening Ceremony At The State Naadam
The Opening Ceremony of the national Naadam takes place at 11 am on the 11th at the Naadam Stadium. This, together with the wrestling, is a ticketed event. Tickets are very hard to come by as there is always more demand than seats. But many events don’t require tickets including the archery and ankle bone competitions. Other free events include:
- The Mongolian Traditional Costume Festival in Sukhbaatar Square (around July 9th or 10th). This link will give you a good overview.
- The ceremony of the State Banner of Mongolia at 2000 in Sukhbaatar Square on July 10th
- Ceremony of carrying the flag of Mongolia from Parliament House to the Naadam Stadium at 0930 in Sukhbaatar Square on July 11th
- ‘Evening of Ulaanbaatar’ concert in Sukhbaatar Square on July 11th (around 2100)
Then, each aimag (province) also holds its own Naadam with each deciding on their own festival dates. Often, the dates of these provincial celebrations are announced roughly one month in advance only. Each province is split into districts and so most of the districts will also hold a Naadam. Naadam celebrations are also held by small communities – for example, herders come together to honour the community ovoo (sacred stone shrine). Naadam is a holiday and a celebration and so most communities decide on an auspicious day from the Mongolian Lunar Calendar. These smaller community events are typically only advertised by word of mouth within the local community.
It’s not just the National Naadam in Ulaanbaatar that holds an opening ceremony as no matter the size, each Naadam will have an ‘opening’ of some kind. For the National Naadam, each year the Opening Ceremony is designed by a leading Mongolian artist with a different theme. Previously, N. Naranbaatar (the director of the National Academic Drama Theatre) was the artistic creator. In an interview, he was asked about his plan for the opening ceremony:
‘Mongolia has a great and rich history. Our ancestors had great tradition, customs that we should still follow and value today. In the old days, Mongolians valued water like one’s eyes, they never washed their head in the river, and never wasted any water. So this year’s Naadam will take visitors through four historical eras of Mongolia – starting from the Hunnu era, the Great Chinggis Khaan era, Bogd Khaan era and through to the People’s Revolution era. The main idea of this year’s Naadam Festival is try to give people “what will we do without water, and how important water is to our lives.”
For an idea as to what happens during the Opening Ceremony for Mongolia’s National Naadam Festival, this is is a overview from 2022 featuring Lkhagvasuren, the lead singer of Kharanga – one of Mongolia’s oldest and most beloved rock bands.
When the President Declares Naadam Open
‘The national Naadam, the tradition of our statehood, historical and cultural wonder, and delight of the people of Mongolia begins with pride and vigour. I wish the wrestlers be strong, the cheer of horse riders be clear, the horse racing astonishing, archers be sharp and our people be peaceful. From this rostrum, I declare the supreme festivity of the Mongol people, the Naadam, open. Have a great Naadam festivity. May my Mongolia dwell eternally.’
‘Everywhere around the world, our people are raising the fame of our beloved country, Mongolia. The banner of our independence is still standing strong. The hardworking Mongolia has won and is striving for development … Naadam celebration is a significant cultural heritage that is spreading the name of our country in the world. In the sweet times of summer, our tradition of statehood, wonder of cultural history and pleasure of our people National Naadam celebration has now started. In the days of laughter and hardship of our proud people with great history and culture, let their hearts be at ease, horses be quick and bows be accurate … Happy Naadam. Let our sovereign state be flourished. And let my people be at peace.’
Experiencing Naadam With Eternal Landscapes
If you would like to be part of Naadam, we offer a small number of carefully planned small group journeys, limited to just six guests, allowing you to experience the festival at a human pace and in good company. We can also design a private tailor made itinerary around your interests, shaped by the rhythms of the celebrations rather than a fixed template.
Many tour companies present the State Naadam as a tourist spectacle. It isn’t. Naadam is first and foremost one of Mongolia’s most important sporting occasions and a time of national pride, when heritage, skill and community come together. No one celebration is more valid than another; what matters is experiencing Naadam as Mongolians do. Families travel from across the country to take part, and the crowds are overwhelmingly local, creating the true holiday atmosphere of the season.
Saikhan Naadaarai!
Jess @ Eternal Landscapes
