Das Adlerfestival ist ein traditionelles jährliches Fest, das in der Provinz Bayan-Ölgii am ersten Wochenende im Oktober stattfindet. Es wird von der Mongolischen Vereinigung der Falkner organisiert und markiert die Eröffnung der Jagdsaison.

[Am Adlerfestival teilnehmen](https://www.voyage-mongolie.com/circuit/festival-aigles)

During the eagle festival, the kazakhstani falconers, "Berkitshi", honor their cultural heritage and compete in competitions aimed at catching small animals such as foxes or hares with their golden eagles, which they have often raised and trained over many years. They thus showcase the agility of their eagle, but also their ability to train a wild animal. Rewards are given for the speed, agility, or precision of the eagles, as well as for the most beautiful traditional Kazakh costume.

About 10 km from the city center of Ölgii, you can attend the opening ceremony, a parade with all the falconers, cultural exhibitions, demonstrations and a presentation of traditional Kazakh crafts. This is also where purely sporting activities and competitions take place. The participants, dressed in their falconry ceremonial costumes and mounted on their horses, compete to win the prizes for best eagle and falconer, best hunting eagle, best eagle for spotting its master. Among the other sporting activities, you can watch horse races, archery, and the hugely popular Buzkashi, where riders must catch a goat carcass and fight to bring it back to their camp while others try to snatch it from them.

Another smaller festival is held each year in the nearby village of Sagsai during the last two weeks of September (check for exact dates).

Finally, a third festival is organized in the Ulaanbaatar region during the first week of March. It is organized in such a way that travelers can easily combine it with the ice festival.