Dong Valley is at the tri-junction of India, China, and Myanmar.
GUWAHATI
India’s easternmost village, in Arunachal Pradesh, is set to welcome 2026 with the inaugural Sunrise Festival, an adventure-based cultural and tourism celebration.
The festival is scheduled from December 29, 2025, to January 2, 2026.
Dong, a village in Anjaw district’s Dong Valley, is the first habitation where the first rays of the sun strike the Indian soil every day.
Announcing the festival on Wednesday (December 24, 2025), Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, “Dong, where India witnesses its first sunrise, is set to host the State’s first-ever Sunrise Festival for five days. This celebration highlights Dong’s unique distinction as the easternmost point of India. The festival will offer visitors a rare blend of nature, culture, and adventure, while showcasing the rich heritage of our indigenous communities.”
He stated that the festival aims to promote sustainable and responsible tourism, create new livelihood opportunities for local communities, and establish Dong as a landmark of India’s geographical and cultural identity on the global tourism map.
Perched 1,240 metres above the mean sea level, Dong Valley is at the tri-junction of India, China, and Myanmar. The valley holds immense geographical, cultural, and strategic significance, and is home to the small, indigenous Meyor community.
The State’s Tourism officials said the Sunrise Festival 2025-26 is envisioned as a vibrant convergence of communities, artists, explorers, scholars, and travellers from across India and around the world, celebrating new beginnings from the land where the day begins for the nation.
“The core vision is to create an experience and community-led destination festival guided by India’s first sunrise. The festival is designed as one of the most offbeat New Year celebrations in India, with ‘no trash, no trace, no excuses’ as the Sun Commitment,” an official said.
The highlight of the festival is expected to be the indigenous sunrise ceremonies welcoming the first light of each day. The other activities include cultural performances by diverse communities of the State, guided treks on sunrise trails, river activities, camping, folk art, local cuisine, and storytelling sessions.
Dong is 7 km from Walong, a major theatre of conflict during the Chinese aggression in 1962. The place is about 200 km from the nearest airport at Tezu, the headquarters of Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district.
Published – December 25, 2025 02:24 pm IST
