The yak festival which takes place in the the beautiful Taikhar Steppe in Ikhtamir soum of Arkhangai aimag (province) has the goal of improving the quality of the Mongolain yak breed, increasing and fully utilizing the benefits from yaks, and increasing the income for herders by supporting value added production.

The Mongolian Yak Festival has become a biannual event that attracts many international and domestic tourists.

A display of Mongolian national games, costume and nomadic lifestyle, yak milk dairy making, yak racing, a folk-art concert and yak wool fashion show have provided entertainment to the festival goers.

Farmers and herders from 16 provinces have been participating in the festival. A yak owned by S.Batbold from Ikh Tamir soum was awarded as the animal with the heaviest wool. Another yak owned by L.Bat-Erdene from Khangai soum has produced a total of 3150 litres of milk.

In Mongolia 132 soums (counties) of 13 provinces have yaks; over 50 percent or more than 400 yaks are in Arkhangai Province.