Kohima: The countdown to the 22nd edition of the Hornbill Festival 2021 has begun. The much-awaited festival will be held from December 1-10 at the Naga Heritage Village at Kisama, about 13 km from Kohima town.
Addressing a press conference Monday at the Directorate of Tourism in Kohima, state tourism advisor Khehovi Yepthomi informed Nagaland is all set to host the mega Hornbill festival, a year after it was celebrated in virtual mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He informed that all COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be followed, and only vaccinated participants and tourists are to be part of the festival.
Nagaland Governor Jagdish Mukhi will grace the opening ceremony as the chief guest, while Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio will be the chief host.
The advisor, who will be the festival host, said a total of 17 cultural troops from across the state will showcase cultural performances during the 10-day long festival.
United States Consul General, Ambassador to India from Israel, and Germany Consul General, will grace the festival as guests of honor.
Advisor to Nagaland CM Abu Metha said the presence of diplomats will exemplify how internationalised the Hornbill is, besides building friendship. He pointed out that there are countries and states that have adopted the model of Hornbill festival to their festivals.
Metha said the Hornbill Festival is “Nagaland’s intellectual property” which also shows the ambition of the new generation of Nagas, exemplifying energy, innovation and creativity. He said the state’s tourism policy is based on “experiential tourism”, following a mantra of promoting festival through tourism.
Like the past few years, the Hornbill festival will be celebrated across almost all districts with over 700 events set to take place across Nagaland.
In addition to the stalls at the bamboo pavilion, this year, through the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME), 40 new stalls are to be set up at the main venue at Kisama.
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