Naadam Opening Ceremony Day Tour

Naadam Festival: Opening Ceremony, Wrestling & Archery

We pick you up from your accommodation (pickup time confirmed in advance) and take you by coach to the National Stadium, where the annual opening ceremony is held. It is a spectacular show of music, dance, and pageantry, with horsemen, soldiers in the costumes of the Mongol Empire, and the ceremonial arrival of the nine white horse-tail banners of Chinggis Khaan. Then the wrestling begins in the stadium: hundreds of wrestlers in traditional boots, briefs, and open-chested jackets compete in a knockout tournament, each performing the eagle dance before and after his bout. There are no weight classes and no time limits, and a bout ends when any part of a wrestler's body other than his feet or hands touches the ground. Around lunchtime, try the food stalls, where 'Naadam khuushuur', crispy fried mutton pastries, is the must-eat dish of the festival. After lunch, visit the archery ground next to the main stadium, where men and women in traditional dress shoot at small targets from long distances. Then we transfer you back to your accommodation, arriving at around 17:00.