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Naadam Festival
Naadam is one of Mongolia’s most important national celebrations, built around the “Three Manly Games”: wrestling, archery, and horse racing. Provinces across the country hold local Naadams, while most overseas visitors head for the National Naadam in Ulaanbaatar around the national holiday.
Recent dates
| Year | National Naadam (UB) |
|---|---|
| Public holiday | Usually ; core opening/closing and stadium contests concentrate on 11–12 July. |
| 2024 | Opening ; closing (MONTSAME); horse-trainers’ festival at Khui Doloon Khudag on . |
| 2025 | The Central Stadium opening was again on the 11th; national celebrations focused on 11–12 July, followed by the trainers’ festival on the 13th. Tour programmes also listed racing, archery and evening events. |
| Provincial Naadams | Aimag and soum celebrations often run around 10–13 July. They are a good alternative if you cannot get a Central Stadium ticket. |
Two main venues
- Central Stadium: the opening and closing ceremonies and wrestling take place here, with archery and shagai grounds nearby. Before the opening, the Nine White Banners are often carried in procession from Sukhbaatar Square.
- Khui Doloon Khudag: about 30 km west of Ulaanbaatar, this is the main horse-racing venue. “Cultural Naadam” programmes are also often held here on 11–12 July. You will not see the full racing programme if you stay in the city centre.
Tickets
- Official 2024 tickets were sold through enaadam.mn; MONTSAME reported that sales opened on the morning of about 1 July.
- Published prices were around ₮80,000, ₮100,000 or ₮150,000 depending on the seat, with separate prices for opening-and-closing packages and evening replays.
- Reports said the better seats could sell out in about 15 minutes. Register and prepare your details early; if you miss out, ask your hotel or guide about help with tickets, or choose a provincial Naadam.
How to find the detailed programme
- Check MONTSAME and enaadam.mn for the latest announcements in early July.
- Confirm the day’s venue with your hotel or guide. Allow time for the drive to the racecourse and prepare for dust along the way.
- Evening replays of the opening ceremony and night events around the city square vary by year, so use the current programme.
What happens
- Opening ceremony: state pageantry, the Nine White Banners, large-scale dance and performances based on Mongolian history.
- Wrestling: an open-weight knockout tournament over multiple rounds; winners perform the eagle dance, or devekh.
- Archery: Khasaa archery, alongside team shagai contests and the “Golden Target” ceremony.
- Horse racing: races are grouped by the horses’ ages, and many jockeys are children. The racecourse is sunny and dusty, so bring a hat, water and sunglasses.
- Around the venues: handicraft, dairy and grilled-meat stalls, plus possible evening celebrations in city squares.
Crowd note: Opening-ceremony tickets are the hardest to get. Some travellers choose daytime wrestling plus a separate day at the races to avoid the busiest evening crowds. The sun is strong and alcohol is widely sold, so keep drinking water and stay aware of your surroundings.
Useful conversations with Mongol Talk
You: “Where can I buy a ticket for the opening ceremony?”
Then ask: “How do I get to the racecourse?” “What time is the next wrestling round?” “Is there somewhere in the shade?”
Sources at a glance
- MONTSAME: National Naadam opening reports for 2024 and 2025; the 2024 trainers’ event at Khui Doloon Khudag
- Public 2025 tour programmes for sample timings only
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