Naadam Opening Ceremony: How to Get Tickets
Getting a ticket to the National Naadam Opening Ceremony in Ulaanbaatar is one of the hardest things to do each July. Here are a few useful tips for getting a ticket and what to know when you attend.
Experiencing Naadam, Mongolia’s biggest and most important national festival, is one of the best things you can do on a trip to Mongolia.
It’s the only time of year when you can watch the best Bökh wrestlers, horse racers, and Mongolian archers compete for the national Naadam title. It’s a huge deal for the winners of all “three manly sports” that changes their lives forever.
As a foreigner who has lived in Mongolia for more than 8 years, July is my favorite time of year to be in the country solely because of Naadam.
The colors, the excitement, the history, and the pride of the locals participating and watching, there really is no better time to be in Mongolia than during early July just to get a glimpse into what Naadam is all about.
Every year, the dates for the National Naadam Opening Ceremony in Ulaanbaatar are July 11 – 12.
There is a procession of the Nine White Banners from Sukhbaatar Square that begins around 9 am that you don’t want to miss. From the square, everyone follows the procession and walks to the National Sports Stadium to watch the Opening Ceremony. The Opening Ceremony is a ticketed event with assigned seats, and seats are notoriously hard to come by. Keep reading for my tips on how to snag one of these coveted tickets and plan your Mongolia trip around attending this important national festival.
Table of Contents
Everything you Need to Book your Naadam Trip
Naadam week fills up fast. If you’re still sorting logistics, here’s where I’d start.
🚕 Airport Transfer into Ulaanbaatar
Book your airport transfer before you land. Ulaanbaatar taxis are chaotic and this is worth the peace of mind.
🛌 Where to Stay
My picks at every budget, all within walking distance of the action:
→ Hostel One: best hostel in the city for solo travelers
→ Urgoo Hotel: locally owned boutique spot, great value and location
→ H9 Hotel Nine: steps from Sukhbaatar Square, ideal for Naadam
→ Best Western Premier Tuushin: 4-star hotel next to Sukhbaatar Square
👉 Make the Most of Your Time Here
If you have extra days, these are the experiences I’d actually recommend:
→ Ulaanbaatar: Private Guided City Tour with Car
→ Cooking Class in a Local Home
→ Mongolian Traditional Dance & Music Concert Ticket
→ Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue & Terelj National Park
→ Ulaanbaatar: Private Nomad Horseback Ride + Homemade Lunch
How to Get Tickets for the Naadam Opening Ceremony in Ulaanbaatar
In the old days (ie when I first started coming to Mongolia) tickets were sold at the stadium two weeks before the Opening Ceremony. You stood in line, waited your turn, and got tickets for you and your friends.
Now, however, tour companies snatch up all the tickets as soon as they’re released and use them to sell high-priced tours to tourists. It’s a bit of a racket, if I’m to be honest. But, seeing the event is a highlight of visiting this time of the year, so what can I do except help you find the right place to buy some tickets.
Tours that Include Naadam Opening Ceremony Tickets
- Mongolian Naadam Festival and Gobi Desert 10-Day Cultural Tour (Top recommendation!)
- 8 Days Naadam Festival and Gobi Desert Tour (Great itinerary to also experience the Gobi Desert)
Alternatively, travelers who can’t make the Opening Ceremony can experience an authentic 1-day Naadam Festival at the Mongol Nomadic Camp.
I will continue to update this page as I find new tours to recommend for this experience. Be sure to keep checking back.
What is the Naadam Opening Ceremony?
Every year on July 11, the National Naadam Opening Ceremony marks the beginning of this important national festival in Ulaanbaatar.
The Opening Ceremony is held at the National Stadium and getting a seat to this yearly event can be hard to come by. Esteemed locals, government officials, basically everyone who is anyone, wants to attend this celebration in the capital! And do so the crowds of tourists visiting this time of year. July is the busiest month for tourists to come to Mongolia, all because of Naadam!
The Opening day starts with a parade from Sukhbaatar Square, where the country’s guardsmen fly the Nine White Banners, Mongolian sacred sulde horsetail banners. These white banners signify a time of peace (black banners signify war), and this special procession marks the beginning of the celebrations.
Over the course of 2-days, attending Naadam is a unique cultural tradition that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. The festival dates back to the days of Chinggis Khaan when he used to use these same sports to keep his warriors in shape between battles.
That’s why the Opening Ceremony is such a celebration! The even features singers, dancers, horse acrobatics, and mounted archers, turning the stadium into something straight out of the theater. Whoever is invited to perform during the Opening Ceremony is considered the best at what they do!
Following the thrill of the Opening Ceremony, don’t just leave as soon as it ends, this is when the games start!
Wrestling matches will begin shortly after the Opening Ceremony inside the National Stadium and archery will commence just behind the stadium at the archery field. Horse races are held at Khui Doloon Khudag, which is 40 kilometers from the National Stadium. If you want to see the horse races, you’ll need a driver to take you there, and an endless amount of patience to sit in the traffic that’s known to hold people up for hours on end just to reach the fields.
be sure to eat Naadam khuushuur and witness Mongolia’s top competitors compete alongside one another for the full Naadam experience.
On the evening of July 12, be sure to attend the Closing Ceremony at the end of the wrestling competitions. Fireworks and musical performances really bring together this entire experience. The Closing Ceremony is also a ticketed and reserved seat event.
Things to Know About Attending Naadam
The National Naadam in Ulaanbaatar always takes place from July 11 – 12. Most businesses in the city close during this time so that locals can enjoy this holiday with their friends and family.
Weather in Ulaanbaatar in July can be hard to predict. There have been some years when I’ve attended Naadam and it was scorching hot. Other years, it was so cold and gloomy I wore a puffer coat the entire day.
The average temperature in Ulaanbaatar in July is:
- Daytime 24°C (75°F) as the high
- Nighttime 11°C (52°F) as the low
It’s important to know that traffic will be heavier than usual during these days. There is nothing anyone can do about it, but it will affect the driving time if you plan to see the horse races on the afternoon of July 11. It will also take you several hours to return to the city following them in the evening. Plan ahead with snacks and water and just try to be as patient as possible.
For Naadam, I recommend you bring a daypack with water, sunscreen, a sun hat, and snacks are a good idea. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and be sure to check the weather and pack a rain jacket if necessary.
Other Popular Tours:
Author: Breanna Wilson
Hi! Sain uu! I’m Breanna, an American travel writer and adventurer living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for more than 8 years. I’ve written for and been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN, Forbes, and the New York Times, among others. Read more of my Mongolia travel articles here.
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