heymongolia
Naadam & traditional sports

Naadam Festival

Mongolia's biggest festival: wrestling, horse racing and archery, the 'three manly games', with an opening ceremony at the National Stadium.

Naadam is Mongolia's national holiday and the high point of the summer. The main festival opens on 11 July at the National Sports Stadium in Ulaanbaatar with a parade of horsemen, soldiers and dancers, followed by the wrestling tournament. Archery takes place next to the stadium, and the horse races, run by child jockeys over 10–30 km of open steppe, are held outside the city at Khui Doloon Khudag.

Smaller naadams happen in provincial and district centres across the country around the same time, and many travellers find these more relaxed and closer to the action than the crowded stadium.

The whole country is on holiday from 11 to 15 July, so flights, hotels and ger camps fill up months ahead.

  • When: 11–15 July 2027
  • Where: National Sports Stadium, Ulaanbaatar, and towns across Mongolia
  • Region: Ulaanbaatar

Tips

  • Book flights and hotels early: July is the busiest month
  • Opening ceremony tickets sell out; buy through your hotel or tour company
  • Try khuushuur, the fried meat pastries sold at every naadam
  • The horse races are outside the city: go early to beat the traffic

Tours for Naadam Festival

  • Beauty of Mongolia Tour and Local Naadam Festival (13 days · Several regions · Discover Mongolia · from $2,477)
    A 13-day July tour timed for the local Naadam in Kharkhorin, continuing south through Ongi and the South Gobi before flying back to Ulaanbaatar.
  • Discover Mongolia Tour and Local Naadam Kharkhorin (16 days · Central Mongolia · Discover Mongolia · from $3,082)
    A 16-day July tour joining the Kharkhorin local Naadam with the South Gobi, central lakes and hot springs, and Khuvsgul Lake, using two domestic flights.
  • Classic Mongolia – Naadam Festival (11 days · Several regions · Nomadic Expeditions · from $9,850)
    An 11-day July group tour combining the Naadam festival in Ulaanbaatar with Terelj National Park and the Gobi, including camel trekking and a nomad family visit.
  • From the Altai Mountains to the Gobi Desert featuring The Naadam Festival (12 days · Altai & the west · Nomadic Expeditions · from $10,990)
    A 12-day trip flying from Ulaanbaatar to the Altai for Kazakh eagle falconry and a local Naadam, then to the southern Gobi for camel trekking and desert sights.
  • Ulaanbaatar Naadam Festival (4 days · Ulaanbaatar · Nomadic Journeys · from $1,100)
    A short hotel-based package in Ulaanbaatar for the July Naadam festival, with the opening ceremony at the stadium plus countryside Naadam archery, wrestling and horse racing.
  • Naadam Explorer | Small Group Tour | 13 Days (13 days · Several regions · Eternal Landscapes Mongolia · from $3,420)
    A 13-day small-group trip in late June and July covering the Gobi and central Mongolia by 4x4 van, ending at the state Naadam festival in Ulaanbaatar.
  • Naadam Trek (10 days · Several regions · Horse Trek Mongolia · from $4,800)
    A 10-day July horse trek through Terelj National Park and nearby country, with a local mini Naadam, a 13th-century village museum, a family stay, and the Chinggis Khan statue.
  • 8-Day Mongolia Gobi Desert & Naadam Festival Tour with Domestic Flights (8 days · Gobi Desert · Guru Travel Mongolia (Tour2Mongolia) · from $2,700)
    An 8-day July group tour pairing a flight to the Gobi for dunes, cliffs and canyons with the Naadam opening, wrestling, archery and horse racing in Ulaanbaatar.

Coming up next