Ceremonies & the Deeltei Mongol parade
The Nine White Banners, a stadium ceremony of a thousand performers, and a city dressed in silk deels.
Naadam's ceremonial spine begins on 10 July with Deeltei Mongol — 'Mongolians in Deel' — when thousands parade across Sükhbaatar Square in traditional dress from every region: brocade deels, horn-shaped headdresses, silver belts. It is free, gloriously photogenic, and the best consolation if you missed ceremony tickets.
On the morning of 11 July, mounted honour guards carry the Nine White Banners — the white horse-tail standards of the Mongol state — from Government House to the National Sports Stadium. The opening ceremony that follows blends military precision with theatre: hundreds of horsemen, dancers, khöömii singers and athletes' oaths. This is the one event that requires a ticket.
The festival closes on the evening of 12 July with the award ceremonies — wrestlers receiving titles beneath the banners — and the banners' return procession. Around the festival, the square hosts evening concerts and fireworks; 13 July belongs to the horse trainers' naadam at Khui Doloon Khudag.
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History of Naadam
From military training of the khans' warriors to a UNESCO-inscribed national festival — eight centuries of the three games.
Read more →Mongolian wrestling — bökh
512 wrestlers, nine elimination rounds, no weight classes, no time limit. The eagle dance, the zodog and shuudag, and titles that follow a man for life.
Read more →Horse racing at Khui Doloon Khudag
Not a racetrack — the open steppe. Races of 12 to 26 km, thousands of horses, and the giingoo song of young riders at dawn.
Read more →Planning your trip?
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