Kohima: The 26th edition of the Hornbill Festival 2025 culminated with pomp and gaiety at Unity Plaza, Naga Heritage Village in Nagaland’s Kisama on Wednesday evening, as various cultural troupes performed to mark the closing ceremony.
The cultural show featured performances from various Naga tribes, each presenting their rich heritage through song, dance, and indigenous games.
Nagaland’s Task Force for Music and Arts also enthralled visitors and well-wishers with their spectacular performances.
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang, Miss Nagaland 2025 Linoka K. Achumi, and other dignitaries lit the bonfire, marking the formal culmination of the festival.
In his festival message, Zeliang elaborated on why the Hornbill Festival is cherished as the “Festival of Festivals.” He said the festival is a space where the traditions, culture, and cuisine of the Naga people are proudly showcased and celebrated.
“This festival has offered our tribes, villages, craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and youth a meaningful platform to present our magnificent diversity and talents to the world. More than a celebration, it has served as a meeting ground where cultures intersect, generations connect, and aspirations take shape,” he stated.
He noted that the misgivings about Nagaland and the Naga people, often shaped by distance and misunderstanding, are now being dispelled as visitors experience “our warm hospitality, our kindness, and our rich cultural tapestry.”
Tourism and Higher Education Minister and festival host Temjen Imna Along, in his closing address, thanked visitors, friends, well-wishers, and tourists for coming to the Hornbill Festival.
He lauded the artists and performers of both cultural and contemporary arts for their resilience in showcasing the rich culture and traditions of the Nagas to the outside world.
While thanking the country partners and state partners, Along said the relationships and collaborations built through this festival would last a lifetime.
Special guest for the culmination programme, Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona, said the Hornbill Festival has given the world a window to see the Northeast, especially Nagaland.
Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of Ireland in India, Raymond Mullen, said their entire team had been deeply moved and overwhelmed by the generosity, friendship, and warmth shown to them by the people of Nagaland.
Reuben Gauci, High Commissioner of the Republic of Malta to India, said Nagaland holds a special place in his heart, a place where he can see and feel the warmth of the people
