Hornbill Festival
Hornbill Festival takes place Dec 1 - 10, 2026 in Kohima, India. The dress code is Warm layers - December mornings and evenings in the Naga hills are near 5C; comfortable shoes for the open-air heritage village. Typical cost ranges from 200 to 600 EUR per person.
Nagaland's 'festival of festivals', where the state's Indigenous tribes gather at Kisama Heritage Village to perform traditional dance, log-drumming, indigenous games and craft, with rock concerts after dark. It is the single best window into Northeast India's tribal heritage. The morena-hut arena filled with warriors in full ceremonial dress is unforgettable.
- When
- Dec 1 - 10, 2026
- Where
- Kohima, India
- Dress code
- Warm layers - December mornings and evenings in the Naga hills are near 5C; comfortable shoes for the open-air heritage village.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 200 to 600 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 15 - 20C crisp sunny days, 5 - 8C chilly nights; dry hill-country winter
- When to book
- Arrange the Inner Line Permit and Kohima lodging 2 - 3 months out; the town sells out completely
- Getting there
- DMU (Dimapur), then ~3 hr by road to Kisama via Kohima
- Where to stay
- Niraamaya Retreats Aradura (Kohima), Hotel Japfu, Hotel Vivor
- Official site
- https://hornbillfestival.com/
How to attend
Foreign visitors need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) arranged in advance to enter Nagaland; Indian visitors obtain it easily online. Fly to Dimapur and travel by road to Kohima; Kisama is about 12 km from town. Daily entry is a nominal fee at the gate (small extra for cameras), while the evening music concerts are separately ticketed.
There is no online ticket - daily entry at Kisama is a small fee paid at the gate, and foreign visitors must separately apply for a Nagaland Inner Line Permit before travelling.
Insider tip
Go on the first two or three days for full tribal participation and lighter crowds, and stay for an evening at the separately ticketed Hornbill Music Festival stage.
Get inside Hornbill Festival
Booking matters here: arrange the Inner Line Permit and Kohima lodging 2 - 3 months out; the town sells out completely. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.