India’s easternmost village on Tibet border to host Sunrise Festival

A village in Arunachal Pradesh that receives the first rays of the sun in the country every day will host the inaugural Sunrise Festival.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced the five-day festival in Anjaw district’s Dong, a village bordering China’s Tibet and located on the easternmost tip of India.

“Landed in Walong, Anjaw district, and will be heading towards Dong, the place where the first sun ray touches Indian soil,” Mr. Khandu posted on social media platform X on Saturday (September 6, 2025).

The festival will be held from December 29 to January 2, 2026, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience the first dawn of the New Year in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’, Mr. Khandu said.

The Sunrise Festival at Dong will also create new opportunities for adventurers and nature lovers, he said.

The Chief Minister underscored the natural and cultural richness of the Anjaw district, and invited people from across the country to the virtually unexplored village.

State tourism officials said the festival would offer ethnic cuisine, adventure activities, cultural and ecotourism events, in addition to showcasing the ethnic lifestyle.

Dong is situated at an altitude of 1,240 metres above the mean sea level, at the tri-junction of India, China, and Myanmar. The village can be accessed by road from the nearest airports at Tezu (200 km) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district, and Dibrugarh (360 km) in Assam, or the closest major railway station in Tinsukia (310 km) in Assam.