Next: 2 to 3 Oct 2027
Golden Eagle Festival
Kazakh eagle hunters of Bayan-Olgii gather on the steppe in October to show their birds and their horsemanship.
When is Golden Eagle Festival in 2027?
Golden Eagle Festival 2027 runs from 2 to 3 October 2027. Other years: 2026, 3 to 4 October 2026; 2028, 7 to 8 October 2028.
About Golden Eagle Festival
The Golden Eagle Festival is held on the first weekend of October in Bayan-Olgii in far western Mongolia, where Kazakh families have hunted with golden eagles for generations. Some seventy hunters, or berkutchi, in fur-trimmed coats and hats, ride up with their birds, which are trained to hunt fox and hare in the winter. Judges evaluate the eagle's speed in coming to its owner's call and in catching a lure, and the rider's costume and horse. There are also camel races, horse games such as kokpar, in which riders contest a goat carcass, and tug of war. A smaller festival is held in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well. Women and girls have also taken up falconry in recent years.
Golden Eagle Festival dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Golden Eagle Festival date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 to 4 October 2026 |
| 2027 | 2 to 3 October 2027 |
| 2028 | 7 to 8 October 2028 |
What is eaten
- beshbarmak
- baursak
- kumis
Also part of it, and being written: Eagle hunting (The tradition of hunting with golden eagles.), Kokpar (The horseback goat-carcass game.), Kazakhs in Mongolia (The community of the festival.).
More marked on Golden Eagle Festival
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Golden Eagle Festival" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Hunting with eagles: Franz Roubaud, Public domain, source