Related Tours
Mongolians celebrate national holidays and festivals throughout the country. Except for the national holidays, some festivals and events held in specific places annually. Combining your Mongolian tour with some of Mongolian celebrations could make the tour more enjoyable and rich in cultural experiences. Please check the festival schedules below and let us know which one appeals to you.
We will develop an itinerary including the festivals and events or you may check our published itineraries.
Date: 10 and 11 July, 2025. Where: town and provincial center Naadam Festivals
Date: 11 and 12 July, 2025. Where: Ulaanbaatar
Date: 2 and 3 August, 2025. Where: Khui Doloon Hudag near Ulaanbaatar
Naadam Festival is the most famous festival and the biggest national holiday of 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.
Our website visitors and readers planning to attend the Naadam Festival will get the most experiential information and advice on how to enjoy and understand the festival, how to make your holiday interesting, filled with unique experiences and activities, and celebrate together with Mongolians.
We arrange tours including Ulaanbaatar's main Naadam festival and a local Naadam festival in northern Mongolia by the beautiful lake Khuvsgul. The origin of the Naadam festival is truly ancient.” Naadam” means festival or feast of sports. Therefore, it is correct to say "Naadam" instead of Naadam Festival.
Date: 1 to March, 2025
Every year Mongolians celebrate “Tsagaan Sar” or Lunar New Year on the junction of winter and spring. The exact date depends on the lunar calendar. Usually, it is held on a new moon day at the end of January or in February. The holiday is celebrated throughout Mongolia for three days. Tsagaan Sar is a holiday celebrates the end of winter and welcome a flourishing new year. It symbolizes a healthy and wealthy life. People start their preparations for Tsagaan Sar one month ahead. Families make several hundred to several thousand buuz (big dumplings), bansh (small dumplings). They prepare plenty of food for their relatives, neighbors, and friends who visit the family. The gers, barns, and yards of animals must be as clean as possible. Women make new deels (a traditional dress) for each family member.
Date: 17 and 18 September, 2025. Where: Sagsai town in Bayan-Ulgii province
Date: 4 and 5 October, 2025. Where: Shar Lake in Bayan-Ulgii province
The Kazakhs are a national minority in the whole country. Even though, they are a majority in the far western Bayan-Ulgii province. Mongolian Kazakhs have been keeping their culture and tradition well including the Eagle Training and Eagle Hunting. The Golden Eagle Festival is a must-see event in Asia, particularly in Mongolia. It is a festival to demonstrate the culture of the Kazakhs to the world and promotes their heritage to their next generations.
The main festival held in October is organized by the Mongolian Eagle Hunters’ Association. Bayan-Ulgii province is located 1600 km from Ulaanbaatar and a domestic flight is the preferred way of transport for people traveling from Ulaanbaatar. The October Golden Eagle Festival is the main festival and attracts a huge number of tourists and photographers. There is a limited capacity for domestic flights and local accommodation.
Date: 2 and 3 February, annually. Where: Bulgan town in Umnugobi province
Camel Festival is a wonderful winter festival and cultural introduction to the life of Mongolian Gobi desert nomads.
The Camel Festival has been organized since 1997 and first initiated to protect and increase the two-humped Bactrian camel population, help the nomads to exchange experiences, increase the benefit of camels, improve locals’ participation in the natural protection and recovery, develop winter tourism, support the livelihood of the locals, introduce the camel herder Gobi desert nomads’ culture locally and internationally. The Camel Festival is not a tourist event anymore. This is one of the biggest celebrations and festivals the Gobi desert nomads prepare and excitedly wait. The Camel Festival has a significant influence on the value of the camels and camel head increase from 192.000 to 460.000 nationwide.
The Yak Festival is an annual event celebrated in the Orkhon River Valley in Bat-Ulziit soum, Uvurkhangai province on 23 July. Except for the Yak Festival, the Orkhon River Valley is famous for its outstanding nature, top attractions, Buddhist Monasteries, historical remains, and evidence. Therefore, the Orkhon Valley has registered as the World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The organizers of the Yak Festival are an administrative office of Uvurkhangai Province, an administrative office of Bat-Ulziit soum, The World Cultural Heritage Site Orkhon River Tourist Association.
The Reindeer Festival takes place near the Khuvsgul Lake on 6 and 7 July, annually.
There are 85 families live in the depths of the Taiga forest herding their 2690 reindeer.
At the beginning of July, numerous reindeer people arrive near the Khuvsgul Lake with their reindeer from the depths of the Taiga forest to introduce their customs and tradition while participating in the Reindeer Festival. It is an opportunity for travelers to discover this unique culture not traveling far on rough roads and riding horses for several days to the remote Taiga. Except for the Reindeer Festival, Khuvsgul Lake is the world’s freshest water lake and famous leisure holiday destination.
Where: Khuvsgul lake, in Khuvsgul province
The Ice Festival is an opportunity to experience the winter in Mongolia, play traditional games, have fun with the local herders and nomadic reindeer people. The festival is held at the frozen Lake Khuvsgul among Taiga Mountains covered with glittering white snow.
Competitions include ice sumo, a horse-drawn sleigh race, ice skating races, tug-of-war between local teams, and a Russian Jeep race on the ice. You also watch the Shaman’s practice, traditional dance, music, and a big bonfire.
Date: 22, March, annually. Where: In Bayan-Ulgii province
Nauryz is a traditional Kazakh holiday. The Muslim people celebrate the Nauryz or spring festival on the junction of the equinox or on the 22 March, annually. The Kazakhs wear their national costumes, visiting homes of parents, relatives, and friends to greet each other traditional way. They prefer their tables to be full of dishes symbolizing the coming year will be full of success, health, wealth, and big families. Man to man, woman to woman and man to woman greetings differ. The main dish of the festival is "Nauryz Kuje" or "Nauryz soup" and sheep head. The main recipe of the Nauryz soup consists of the seven elements of life; water, meat, salt, fat, flour, rice /rice, wheat or millet/, and milk. Number 7 and 40 are important numbers for the Kazakhs. Number 7 represents the week which means all 7 days of the week protects. Also, they prefer to visit and eat the Nauryz soup at 40 families if possible. The feast includes dancing, singing with the melody of the traditional musical instrument dombra, and traditional games. Alcoholic drinks are strictly forbidden. Combining the Eagle Training tours with the Nauryz celebration could be the best insight into the tradition and custom of the Kazakh culture.
Nomads Day Festival offers a nice opportunity to see and experience what nomads do daily such as how to build a ger, how to catch and tame horses, how to cook traditional meals, and much more. The local nomads divide into teams and demonstrate the above while competing. If you wish, you can participate in the contest. There are competitions among tourists which allow them to demonstrate what they have learned during the festival. In the evening, you will try traditional meals, watch a folk concert, and enjoy bonfires.
The Gun Galuut Nature Reserve is a picturesque place of grasslands, mountains, rivers, and lakes. The mountains are the habitat of wild sheep Argali, the lakes and wetlands are home to endangered waterfowls.
