Mizoram targets festive tourism surge with Winter Festival 2025 line-up
Tourism Minister Hmar announced new attractions, from Christmas parades to adventure hikes & music performances, to draw visitors
Ongoing preparations for Christmas and New Year season in Mizoram (Photo: AT)
Aizawl, Dec 12: Mizoram is preparing for a more vibrant Christmas and New Year season in a bid to draw visitors from outside the State, Tourism Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar announced at a press conference on Thursday.
“To attract tourists, we must showcase Mizoram’s beauty and create events that people genuinely want to experience,” he said.
The Tourism Department will host the Winter Festival 2025 at Lammual (formerly Assam Rifles Ground) from December 15 to 20, with an additional Christmas-themed programme on December 23.
This year’s edition will introduce new attractions, including a full Christmas backdrop, a Christmas costume parade, and carol singing on December 23.
Lammual and the surrounding area will be decorated in festive colours, while a charity stall will allow donors to contribute clothes and essential items for the poor.
Leading bands from the Leitlangpui Music Festival will take the stage alongside dance performances, children’s play zones, game corners, and an array of stalls. Prominent artistes including DJ Avanie from Mumbai, Naaz from Guwahati, Reble and Kim the Beloved from Shillong, and Zehen from Bengaluru are slated to attend the carnival.
On New Year’s Eve, a special sunset-viewing event will be held at Sakawrhmuituai, jointly organised with Sihphir Local Council, YMA and the Sakawrhmuituai Development Committee.
Visitors will gather on the hilltop to watch the last sunset of the year. “People will realise that one of the most beautiful ways to bid farewell to the old year is from a picturesque hill in Mizoram,” Hmar stated.
The minister also announced the Tlaizawng (Cherry Blossom) Paradise programme at Phuaibuang on January 6 and 7.
The event will include a concert, mass rod-fishing at Tuivai, and an adventure hiking route at Hriangmual Tlang.
Tent accommodation will be arranged, and a ‘Phuaibuang Dawr’ will sell locally grown vegetables and other village produce.
Hmar informed that the State is also pushing community-based tourism by inviting families across Mizoram to apply for homestay registration under the Mizoram Banakaih (Handholding) Scheme.
He noted that inter-village travel, coupled with steady visitor inflow from outside, will help circulate money and strengthen the rural economy. “When more people travel – even within our own state – the local economy benefits,” he said.