Kohima, Dec 1: The 26th Hornbill Festival will open today at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, coinciding with Nagaland’s Statehood Day. The ten-day event will feature all major Naga tribes, highlighting tradition, folklore, music, craft and cuisine.

As per the Akashvani correspondent, preparations are in place for the inaugural ceremony scheduled at 4:00 PM at the Unity Plaza in Kisama. Governor of Nagaland Ajay Kumar Bhalla will attend as the Chief Host. This year, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Austria, Malta and Switzerland are participating as country partners, while Arunachal Pradesh has come on board as the state partner.

Ahead of the formal opening, inaugurations of departmental stalls, exhibitions and carnival events are lined up for the day.

Programmes are also planned at multiple locations across Nagaland, extending the celebrations beyond Kisama.

The Hornbill Festival, which began as a tourism initiative more than two decades ago, has evolved into a major cultural platform attracting visitors, performers and collaborators from across India and abroad.