The traditional Naadam Festival will take place at the XIII Century Complex, 90 km east of Ulaanbaatar. The impressive site is owned by Genco Tour. According to B.Baatar, director of Hero Entertainment, the traditional festival of the so-called ‘three manly games’ (wrestling, archery and horse racing) will become a ‘Mongol Naadam’ video content for advertising Mongolia to the world and to create a tourism brand.

In addition, police officers who ensure public safety during Naadam will change their uniforms to the traditional ‘deel’ (pronounced a bit like ‘dell’).  It is normal for Mongolians to don their summer deels for Naadam.

Due to the pandemic, Mongolia’s biggest tourist attraction, the ‘Naadam’ Festival, is expected to be held without foreign audiences. According to statistics, at least 11,000 tourists have been coming to Mongolia every year specifically to see and experience Naadam. The Mongolian Government has approved a budget of MNT 3 million for organising Naadam – the same as last year. However, at a time when everyone is feeling the economic pressure of the lockdown, the public has been criticising the large amount being spent on the games.

The festival will be held at same time in Ulaanbaatar and the 339 soums (districts) of the country’s 21 provinces on 10-13 July. Traditionally, there are ‘little naadams’ in different parts of the country, which occur independently from the national Naadam. This year, only the one main event will take place.