Nagaland Minister of Tourism and Higher Education Temjen Imna Along said on Friday that the 24th edition of Hornbill Festival 2023 is a special edition as it will be a prelude to the Silver Jubilee of the mega Hornbill festival which will take place in December 2024. The greatest achievement for the people of the state for this year is a united, wonderful, Nagas of Nagaland coming forth in the Hornbill Festival and the government is going to facilitate everything to make it better, he said.
Minister Temjen Imna Along was addressing the media after the final consultative meeting held today with the line departments led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, here at the Heritage Village, Kisama. The Chief Minister also reviewed the ongoing preparations at Kisama.
Minister Along also informed that the the seven tribes from the Eastern Nagaland have responded positively to participate in this year Hornbill festival for which, he expressed his gratitude to the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) for coming in showing the unity of the Nagas.
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He asserted that Hornbill festival is not just a festival but a lifetime experience for people and Nagas at large should sent the right message to the world about the Naga culture, traditions and heritage.
“The Chief Minister and together with the Department of Tourism, myself and all of us invite the tourists of the nation and the world to come and experience the traditional, cultural and contemporary Naga way of life,” he added.
The Minister informed that for the first time the Hornbill Festival will also showcase ‘Mithun’ which is the state animal and local pig exhibition at the Heritage Village, Kisama. “This year Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA) will be presenting more than 800 musicians from all over the globe. This time will be a record in the number of the foreign ambassadors and delegates attaining the hornbill festival,” said Along adding that even in the past, Nagaland has benefited in many ways by inviting delegates from different countries.
He said, “as the nations of the world come to partner with the State, it will also foster and facilitate the state in partnering with other nations in various ways. They would help us in many ways and we would also be able to know them to facilitate in building our state in a greater way. The Honourable Chief Minister is at the forefront of activating all those things.”
And I think we will be seeing you know, something fresh, especially after two years of certain issues that have a little bit, you know shadowed the Hornbill Festival, he added.
Minister Along also exuded hope that this years Hornbill footfall will be higher than the previous year.
For the 24th edition of the Hornbill Festival, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India private Limited will be the mobility partner while Reckitt: The Birds and Bees Talk is the health and hygiene partner, Indian Oil Corporation and State Bank of India are the associate partner, PepsiCo is the beverage partner and Liamtra as the accommodation partner.
