Golden Eagle Festival – Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia

The Golden Eagle Festival is one of Mongolia’s most iconic cultural events, celebrating the ancient Kazakh tradition of hunting with golden eagles. Held in the dramatic landscapes of western Mongolia, the festival brings together skilled eagle hunters dressed in traditional fox-fur hats and embroidered coats, riding horses with their majestic birds perched proudly on their arms.

What Happens at the Festival

Eagle hunters compete in a series of traditional events that test the bond, skill, and discipline between hunter and eagle:

• Eagle Calling: Hunters release their eagles from mountain ridges, calling them back from long distances

• Speed & Accuracy Tests: Eagles swoop down to catch fox-fur lures

• Horseback Games: Including traditional Kazakh competitions such as kokpar (goat tug-of-war)