Hornbill Festival adds table tennis: 'Hornbill Smash' on Dec 3-5

The 27th Hornbill Festival will have a table tennis championship for the first time this year, with the Northeast India Academy of Performing Arts (NIAPA) organising the inaugural "NIAPA Hornbill Smash 2026" from December 3 to 5.

The three-day event will be played at the NIAPA Table Tennis Indoor Stadium at 4th Mile, Agri Expo Site, Chümoukedima.

Ten categories

The tournament will have 10 categories: men's and women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles, a doubles event for pairs with a combined age of 75 and above, and under-17 and under-15 singles for boys and girls.

It is being organised by the NIAPA Khelo India Centre under the Government of Nagaland, together with the Department of Youth Resources and Sports and the Department of Tourism. Table tennis associations from across the country have been invited to send players, and festival visitors and tourists are welcome to watch.

Players from Nagaland have been asked to complete registration by November 26. The organisers have shared phone numbers and an email address for entries.

Sport on the festival calendar

The Hornbill Festival, held every December, is Nagaland's flagship tourism event and draws visitors from across India and abroad to Kisama and other venues. Organisers said the new championship is meant to add a sporting side to the festival and give players a chance to compete, meet and take part in a cultural exchange.

NIAPA, registered on July 31, 2003, was recognised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2022, and its table tennis centre is a designated Khelo India Centre in Chümoukedima district. Since 2021 it has run five editions of the NIAPA Northeast Open Table Tennis Championship, which has given regional players regular competitive exposure.

For Nagaland's young paddlers, a national-level field arriving at a home venue during the festival season could offer rare match practice against stronger opponents without the cost of travelling outside the region.

The festival itself opens on December 1.