The Hornbill Festival as the ‘festivals of festivals’ came into existence only in the year 2000. It is a deliberate cultural creation of the Government of Nagaland and it came to be celebrated every year from 1st to 10th December. This festival seeks to express the ‘unity in culture’ among all the 17 tribes of Nagaland. The purpose of ushering in a new cultural festival of this magnitude is manifold. The crucial one is that it is an earnest endeavor to promote ‘Tourism’ in the State. The Festival is named after the hornbill, the globally respected bird, and which is displayed in folklore in most of the State’s tribes.

In the home front, this ‘festival of festivals’ Binds all the tribes of Nagaland in a spirit of collective fraternity and mutual respect. They come together once a year to celebrate life on a single cultural platform. The venue of the Hornbill Festival, Kisama Naga Heritage Village, symbolizes the existence of a unified Naga Village. Besides promoting an idyllic eco-tourism for those wishing to get away from the mechanized world or the concrete jungle of fast-paced living, the Hornbill Festival holds much more than one may possibly bargain for. On one hand, there is the unmatched display of rustic brilliance in terms of tribal folk dances, and on the other hand, there is the confluence of international talent in terms of state-of-the-art stage shows.

The Hornbill Festival has something of artistic and cultural value to offer to anybody who comes to experience it personally.