Talyn Javkhaa Horse Culture Festival: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Ulaanbaatar)

Horses in the deep of winter

This is a festival of the Mongolian horse, held in midwinter. The name translates roughly as “splendour of the steppe,” and the event exists to celebrate traditional equestrian culture in the capital. It recurs every year in late January, and the 2027 edition follows that pattern.

The horse is central to Mongolian identity. It is the animal of Naadam racing, of herding life, and of the morin khuur, the horse-head fiddle. A January festival shows that culture in its hardest season. The short, shaggy Mongolian horses live outdoors all winter on the steppe.

Dates and venue for 2027

The 2027 festival takes place in late January in Ulaanbaatar. The 2026 edition ran on Saturday, January 24, which gives a fair idea of where it sits in the calendar.

• When: late January 2027
• Most recent venue: Chinggis Khaany Khuree complex, Ulaanbaatar
• Previous date: January 24, 2026
• Format: annual, one-day event in 2026

Chinggis Khaany Khuree is a heritage-themed complex, not a stadium in the city centre. Visitors usually get there by taxi from central Ulaanbaatar rather than on foot.

The organiser sets the start times and ticket arrangements. Our information names no ticketing platform, and this guide does not repeat programme details or prices nobody has given us.

Surviving a Ulaanbaatar January

Late January is the coldest stretch of the Mongolian year. Daytime temperatures in Ulaanbaatar are commonly well below −20°C, and nights go colder. The sky is often a hard, clear blue. In the morning the city’s valley fills with smog from coal and ger stoves.

What experienced winter visitors wear:

• Thermal base layers on top and bottom
• A down parka that covers the hips
• Insulated boots with thick soles, because standing on frozen ground is what chills you
• A hat that covers the ears, plus a neck gaiter
• Mittens over thin liner gloves, so you can work a phone camera

Phone batteries drain fast in this cold. Attendees typically keep a spare power bank in an inside pocket.

Getting there the way Ulaanbaatar does

Most residents move around the city by car, and in January nobody waits long at a roadside. Ride-hailing apps such as UBCab are widely used. Informal taxis are a normal part of city life too: a private driver stops and you agree a fare before getting in.

City traffic is notoriously heavy, especially at weekday rush hours. On a festival day, locals usually leave a generous margin for the drive out.

At the event, a few customs are worth knowing:

• Approach horses from the front or side, never directly behind, and ask the handler before touching one.
• Accept offered food or drink with the right hand, or both hands, the polite Mongolian way.
• Ask before photographing people in traditional deel, especially at close range.

A few words of Mongolian go a long way. Sain baina uu is hello, and bayarlalaa is thank you.

Late January often falls close to Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year, so the city may already be preparing for the holiday. Visitors who stay on can see the Gandan Monastery, the National Museum of Mongolia, and the Chinggis Khaan equestrian statue at Tsonjin Boldog, about an hour east of the city by road.