The three-day Longkhum Cherry Blossom Festival 2025 kicked off on November 27 under the theme “Blossom Beats and Beyond” in Longkhum Village. The festival will conclude on November 29.
Special Guest Imkongchuba, Chairman of the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC), said that the 3rd Cherry Blossom Festival at Longkhum reflects the village’s natural setting, cultural value, and community effort. He noted that Longkhum is not only a scenic hilltop but also a place with historical significance, known as the Ao Vanguard Village because of its strategic height and the role of its people in earlier times.
He said Longkhum should work toward becoming a year-round tourist destination instead of a seasonal attraction. For this, he suggested practical steps such as preparing Visitors’ Guidelines to help manage community and village tourism. He added that youths and elders who know the village’s history can be trained to guide tourists and share information about the surroundings.
Imkongchuba encouraged the village to open homestays and to provide basic training to those who will manage them, so that visitors know where to stay and receive proper care. He also recommended putting up signboards in Ao, English, and Hindi for easy direction and identification of places.
Referring to Longkhum’s well-known tomatoes, he proposed organising a Tomato Festival in consultation with relevant stakeholders and departments. He said such an event could encourage farmers and also draw visitors.
He mentioned that past editions of the festival have included music, handicrafts, farm produce stalls, wellness activities and nature walks, giving Longkhum visibility as a responsible tourism destination.
Imkongchuba said feedback both positive and negative should be recorded and reviewed. He suggested keeping a logbook so that criticism can be used for improvement, not only for future festivals but also for tourism activities in the village.
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The Chairman of the Longkhum Putu Menden reminded the community to stay aligned with the original purpose of starting the festival. He said the event should continue to grow with new ideas and wider participation. He added that the festival should not remain limited to the district or the state, but be made visible beyond. Calling it his personal challenge, he encouraged everyone to ensure a responsible and peaceful conduct of the celebrations. With the inaugural programme, a folk song competition was featured on the first day.
This year’s festival on the following two days includes, a Mountain Bike Competition and the Ultimate Strength and Bloom Fitness Competition on November 28 followed by a Special Classic Night, and on November 29 the Green Trail Run Half-Marathon, the fitness competition final round and the Ultimate Concert. Throughout the three days, various stalls such as KFC, Aor Café, Urban Hub, BBQ stalls, bouquet vendors, handicraft stalls, indigenous product stalls, farmers’ market, food court, photo booths, fresh locally grown vegetables are set up at the venue.
