Kohima: Visitors at the Hornbill Festival this year will be singing a Happy Song this time, with the popular German vocal group Boney M to perform there on December 10.

Making the announcement at a news conference at Rattle and Hum here today, the convener of the Nagaland Outdoors Club, Kethosituo Elvis Mepfuo, said Boney M would feature the band's lead vocalist Liz Mitchell and others.

The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with different personnel. With more than 150 million records sold, they are one of the best-selling artistes of all time.

"Everything has been contracted and a seven-member crew of the band will arrive on December 9 for a live performance, which has been coined Christmas with Boney M," the convener said, adding that "the band will be performing their original hits of the 80s and 90s".

Music lovers can book their tickets over phone. Five lucky ticket holders from each category will get an opportunity to have dinner with Boney M members, he said.

Mepfuo added that though the state government will be shifting the International Rock Contest and music festival to Dimapur, the Boney M concert will be staged in Kohima.

On the government's view that the rock contest needs to be shifted because of security reasons and traffic congestion in Kohima, he said Dimapur is no better than Kohima but the main reason for the shift would be to hold the festival in different parts of the state.

The Hornbill Festival, that lasts for 10 days will be celebrated at the Naga Heritage village, Kisama, from December 1, officials of the state tourism department said.

The festival is an annual tourism promotional event of the state government.