Nagaland gears up for 10-day Hornbill festival

KOHIMA- Nagaland is gearing up to welcome tourists from around the globe to the 24th edition of the 10-day long Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, said Minister for Higher Education & Tourism, Temjen Imna Along.

The Hornbill Festival has been coined as the ‘festival of festivals’ as part of the annual tourism promotional event of the State Government and it is celebrated from December 1 to 10 at the picturesque Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, some 12 kms from Kohima, in Southern Angami region.

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He informed that “ This year Hornbill Festival will be a special edition as it is a prelude to the silver jubilee edition of the mega festival which will happen next year, he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister also welcome the decision of Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) to re-join the Hornbill Festival after a year of boycott demanding separate statehood of its 6 districts for the 7 tribes ~ Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Yimkhiung, Sangtam and Tikhir.

The last two years of the Festival had faced certain issues which have shadowed the mega hornbill festival to some extent but this year it’s truly going to be a coming together of the Nagas in the true sense of unity, he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister NeiPhiu Rio on Thursday took to social media X announcing that the United States of America, Colombia and Germany are the official partner countries for the ensuing Hornbill Festival.

He hoped that the partnerships with the 3 countries for the Festival would boost bilateral collaborations for mutual benefit.

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According to his posts, Germany will be sending a rock band (ELM Tree) to the Hornbill Music Festival besides “well-known” German films and a business delegation for a roundtable with the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN).

In another post, Rio said performers and cultural ambassadors from Colombia will also be participating in the festival, adding value and diversity to the event.

Abu Metha, the adviser to the chief minister, said on X that “it doesn’t “get bigger than this!!” while disclosing the line-up of the band at the music festival being presented by Toyota.

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“This year’s edition will see the participation of bands from Germany, USA, Colombia, South Korea, some of the biggest names in the Indian music scene and the best that Nagaland and the north east has to offer. “

“The main hornbill stage will feature 40+ Bands/acts comprising of 800+ artists from December 1-10, 2023. Best wishes to the Hornbill Music Festival and cheers to all the participants and music lovers,” Metha said.

The festival is being promoted in a big way by the state government over the years as in the words of Rio, “Hornbill festival is a symbol of Brand Nagaland and the emerging Naga Soft Power”.