Mongolia Naadam Festival 2025 – Everything You Need to Know

It is said that the secret behind the Mongol Empire's conquest of half of the world can be found in the pivotal celebration of the Naadam Festival. It embodies our national pride and serves as a splendid homage to our nomadic culture and traditions. 

MONGOLIA NAADAM FESTIVAL TOURS

Participating in a Naadam tour is a magical and unforgettable lifetime experience, offering opportunities to engage with locals, witness traditional ceremonies, and immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the country. You'll experience everything from traditional art and nomadic sports to the vibrant culture and stunning destinations at their best season.

If you're seeking personalized, custom travel packages or small, exclusive group tour packages for the 2024 and 2025 State Naadam Festival, here is our Naadam tour list that might help you choose from our handcrafted tours to Mongolia. We, at Guru Travel Mongolia, strive for excellence to meet all our guests' needs and ensure that you experience the best of the Naadam Festival while getting the best value for your money.

WHAT IS NAADAM FESTIVAL:
Naadam, eagerly anticipated by locals and celebrated throughout the nation, is Mongolia's most prominent traditional festival. Naadam comprises three traditional 'manly' games: wrestling, archery, and horse racing, which was considered essential skills for any Mongol warriors from ancient times. Today, this ancient game, once a testament to the strength of warrior men, has evolved into a national festival.
      During Naadam, young children participate in horse racing, men compete in wrestling, and both women and men take part in archery competitions. Across the country, approximately 22,000 wrestlers, 100,000 horses ridden by child jockeys, and 10,000 archers participate in the festivals.

Get a glimpse of the past Naadam events in Mongolia:

Wrestling

The Naadam wrestling competition 1st round begins right after the Naadam Festival opening ceremony and lasts for two days at the National Stadium of Ulaanbaatar. Either 512 or 1024 wrestlers compete in a single-elimination tournament, which lasts either 9 or 10 rounds, depending on each year. The number of wrestlers gets cut in half after each round.

During the matches, wrestlers perform a special dance that imitates the soaring of eagles, falcons, and hawks. They also have titles representing powerful animals like falcons, hawks, elephants, Garudas, and lions. Each wrestler has their own helpers, called "encouragers". The loser of each match must walk under the right arm of the winner. The winner then does a special eagle dance around a banner.

While this event is exciting for locals, it can be confusing and boring for visitors who don't know the rules. However, our tour guides at Guru Travel Mongolia help guests understand and appreciate the excitement of the competition. 

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Horse Racing

The horse racing event takes place in the open horse racing field called “Khui Doloon Khudag,” located 40km from Ulaanbaatar. The racing distance varies from 15km to 30km depending on the age of the horses. The racehorses are ridden by jockeys aged between 7 to 13 years old. Mongolians flock to the Soyolon race, held on July 12th, as the Soyolon is considered the fastest horse. Mongolians believe touching the sweat of a winning horse or covering themselves in its dust brings good luck.

Archery 

In the Archery event, both men and women are able to compete. They are grouped into teams of ten and given four arrows each. Traditionally, male archers stand 75m from the target, while women stand 60m away. The title of the best archer is "mergen," which means a skilled shooter and hunter. All archers wear leather bracers up to the elbow on their outstretched arm to prevent the deel's cuff from interfering with their shooting. Participants range in age from as young as 5-6 years old to 20-30 years old.

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Anklebone shooting

In 2001, ankle bone shooting was officially adopted as the fourth form of sport played at the Naadam Festival. Originally, targets were made of sheep ankle bones, but nowadays, they are made of plastic, while the darts or bullets used are made of real animal bones. Shooters sing traditional shooting melodies, and the sound phase and chanting style of spectators after each shot vary depending on the outcome.

The bullets used are made of deer antler, and each player needs their own bullet, carried in a beautifully adorned bag. The shooting base is typically made of rare woods such as sandalwood. The game requires stable vision and eyesight, superior concentration, hand sensitivity, and mental stability. It also strengthens thumb muscles and improves the precision of arrow shooting.

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WHERE AND WHEN DOES THE STATE NAADAM FESTIVAL TAKE PLACE?

The main official state event takes place annually from July 11th to July 13th in Ulaanbaatar. The Naadam Opening Ceremony, wrestling, archery, and knucklebone shooting are held at the Central Stadium in the city center of Ulaanbaatar, while horse racing is only organized on the open field of Khui Doloon Khudag, located 30 kilometers away on the west side of Ulaanbaatar. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ULAANBAATAR STATE NAADAM FESTIVAL AND NAADAM FESTIVAL HELD IN TOWNS OR VILLAGE? 

State Naadam: The State Naadam event in Ulaanbaatar offers its spectators the opportunity to witness a vibrant and spectacular opening ceremony, parades, cultural showcases, evening performances, and state-level sports competitions. Certainly, both participants and spectators are numerous in attendance. The date for the State Naadam festival is annually fixed to occur between the 11th and 13th of July.

Countryside Naadam: Each of Mongolia's 21 provinces and 330 soums (villages) celebrates its own festivals respectively. With fewer participants and spectators in attendance, the rural Naadam festivals in small towns and villages offer the chance to get up close and personal with the contestants and interact with both residents and nomads, enjoying a more relaxed atmosphere. Small town and village celebrations can take place anytime in the months of July and August, depending on various factors such as anniversaries, weather, herd, and pasture conditions.

HOW IS OPENING CEREMONY OF NAADAM FESTIVAL HELD: 

The grand opening ceremony, held at the National Stadium at the city center is more like Olympic Opening ceremony but more traditional style on July 11th annually and it is a spectacular celebration gathering the best of Mongolian celebrities which means the excellence of Mongolian dance, music, and diverse cultural traditions.

HOW DO MONGOLIANS CELEBRATE NAADAM?

During the Naadam Festival in Mongolia, particularly in Ulaanbaatar, most of businesses and some government offices close or operate with reduced hours as locals take advantage of the holiday break for around 7 or more days. However, essential services are typically maintained, and certain businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, shops still operate to serve tourists and visitors. 

Every family enjoys Naadam, commonly cooking the traditional Naadam dish Khuushuur at home while enjoying Naadam sports on television. Additionally, many dress in colorful traditional attire Deel and head Naadam Stadiums to observe the sports, sample Naadam field Khuushuur, Airag, barbecue, and other delights. Meanwhile, in rural regions, locals partake in the Naadam Festival by riding their finest horses during the festivities.

During the Festival, both rural Mongolians dealing with the challenges of nomadic life and those living in towns find great happiness and feel recharged with energy, which lasts until the next Festival. This national event has a magical effect of refreshing people and filling them with energy.

CAN I GET NAADAM OPENING CEREMONY TICKET ONLY? 

We recommend securing tickets as part of a tour package for the main festival, as tickets for the Naadam opening ceremony are frequently in high demand and can quickly sell out due to the limited seats in the stadium. Most tickets are allocated to government officials, large companies, tourist organizations, and the families and friends of well-connected individuals. Even for travel agencies, securing enough tickets, especially reserving the best seats, is not easy. In some cases, travel agencies may need to purchase tickets for their travelers at significantly higher costs. Nonetheless, Guru Travel Mongolia guarantees our travelers access to these sought-after tickets, especially the best seats. However, closing ceremony tickets are easier to find and purchase.

EVENTS AROUND THE NAADAM FESTIVAL 

The Naadam festivities encompass more than just the opening ceremony and sports competitions. Throughout the days surrounding the Naadam Festival, Ulaanbaatar brims with cultural events. From the Mongolian Deel Festival, an annual celebration of Mongolian clothing, to special exhibits at museums and galleries, to public concerts on Sukhbaatar Square, the city provides entertainment for all tastes. 

The Naadam Festival program 2024 assists you in planning your Naadam Festival itinerary.

History about naadam festival

HISTORY OF NAADAM FESTIVAL

The origin of Naadam is closely related to history and nomadic culture and is believed to have existed for centuries in various forms. As mentioned above, Naadam includes three manly games: wrestling, archery, and horse racing, which were considered essential skills for any Mongol warrior. The Mongolian Naadam has been mentioned in Chinese sources during the Xiongnu period. Additionally, history tells us that before and after major battles, the three manly sports—wrestling, horse riding, and archery—were organized events.

Since the proclamation of the Great Mongol Empire in 1206, the tradition of holding the State Three Manly Festival has been established. Then, the image of Naadam shifted from mass battle or physical training to a national celebration.

During the Qing dynasty rule, Manchu regents made a rule to stop monks from practicing traditional sports like wrestling and archery. They were trying to disrupt the unity of Mongolians by decreasing the number of participants in mass events like Naadam. At that time, Naadam was able to be organized in small villages as mini Naadam-type events on various occasions such as worshipping sacred areas, weddings, and religious rituals. Naadam was celebrated as a religious holiday until the secularization of the 1930s.

After Mongolia declared independence, Naadam began to be celebrated nationwide, honoring the victory of the People’s Revolution. Then, the Naadam festival was renamed People's Revolution Day and its dates fixed as July 11-13 in the 1920s.

Today, the game, which in ancient times showcased the power of real men, has grown into a national festival.