Thousand Camel Festival: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Dalanzadgad)

Three days of two-humped racing

Picture the Gobi in deep winter. The ground is pale and frozen, the sky is huge, and camels in their thick winter coats are lined up for the start. The Thousand Camel Festival runs from January 29 to 31, 2027, in and around Dalanzadgad, the provincial centre of Ömnögovi.

Every animal here is a Bactrian camel, the two-humped breed that South Gobi herding families have depended on for generations. The festival started in the late 1990s to help preserve that herding culture and the camels themselves. Its name hints at the scale it aims for: a whole steppe of animals and riders gathered in one place.

What fills the festival grounds

Racing is the main event. Riders, often young herders, take camels over a long open course, and the finish line is where the crowd packs in. The rest of the programme is traditional ceremony, which places the camel at the centre of nomadic life rather than treating it as a sideshow.

Earlier editions have also included:

• Camel polo, played from the saddle with long mallets
• Contests for the best-dressed camel and rider, with ornate saddles and blankets
• Folk music and dancing between events
• Displays of camel-wool crafts and herding gear

Riders and families usually wear the deel, the long belted Mongolian robe. In winter it is padded and lined, and it does far more than look good in photos.

Reaching Dalanzadgad and getting in

Dalanzadgad lies roughly 550 km south of Ulaanbaatar. Domestic flights from Chinggis Khaan International Airport cut the trip to a short hop. The paved road south takes most of a day by car, and in winter visitors almost always travel with a local driver rather than driving themselves.

This guide gives no ticket prices. Many foreign visitors attend through Gobi tour operators based in Ulaanbaatar. Their winter packages usually combine flights or road transport, nights in tourist ger camps and a place at the festival. Dalanzadgad also has small hotels for travellers who want a town base.

Dressing for a January Gobi

Late January is one of the coldest stretches of the Gobi year. Nights go far below freezing, and wind across the open race ground makes daytime feel colder still. Spectators stand outside for hours, so attendees usually dress as if they were going on an expedition.

What experienced winter visitors pack:

• A down parka with a hood that covers the face
• Thermal base layers on top and bottom
• Insulated boots with room for thick wool socks
• Mittens, plus thin gloves for handling a camera
• A balaclava or neck gaiter
• Spare batteries kept warm in an inside pocket, because cold drains them fast

The upside is the light. Low winter sun over the snow-dusted gravel plains gives the races a clarity that summer haze never does.

Watching the races the herders’ way

At heart this is a herding community’s gathering, and a little etiquette goes a long way.

• Give the course room. Racing camels are fast and hard to steer. Locals keep well back from the track and the finish, even when the crowd surges.
• Ask before close-up portraits. A gesture toward your camera is usually enough, and most herders are happy to pose with a decorated camel.
• Use your right hand. When someone offers milk tea (süütei tsai) or a snack, take it with the right hand, the left supporting the elbow or the cup.
• Carry tögrög in small notes. Card readers are rare around rural event grounds, and stalls selling food or camel-wool goods mostly run on cash.
• Stay off the hobbles and ropes. Tethered camels can kick, so herders steer visitors around the animals’ back legs.

Beyond the race ground

Dalanzadgad is the gateway to Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. Most festival visitors add at least a day or two in the park. In winter the landscapes are close to empty of other tourists.

• Yolyn Am (Vulture’s Mouth): a narrow gorge west of town, known for an ice field that survives deep into the year
• Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs): red sandstone cliffs where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first dinosaur eggs recognised by science in the 1920s
• Khongoryn Els: the “singing dunes”, a long day’s drive further west and usually an overnight trip from Dalanzadgad

Visitors usually allow 4–6 days in total: travel to and from Ulaanbaatar, the three festival days, and one or two days of exploring the Gobi.