Ordos belongs to typical temperate continental climate with abundant sunshine. The humidity is low as the rainfall is infrequent and mainly concentrates on the period between July and September. There might be sandstorm and dust storm during Spring.
Winter in Ordos is long, cold and dry, while summer is relatively warmer. Winds are common in Spring. There is very little snow in winter, with average annual evaporation reaches 2,000 to 3,000 mm. In the city proper, the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −10.5 °C (13.1 °F) in January to 21.0 °C (69.8 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 6.16 °C (43.1 °F).
You are strongly advised to go in summer and autumn as the weather is cool and there isn't any serious sandstorm.
Festival
Naadam Festival
"Naadam" means "games" in Mongolian, which means the festival is filled with many traditional games of Mongolian. Including wrestling, horse racing, and archery. The other name of this festival is called "Eriin Gurvan Naadam," , which means "the Three Games of Men." literally. However, some women can also participate in horse racing and archery nowadays.
The origin of this festival can be traced back to the warlord-period. The parade of the armies, wedding celebrations, and sports competitions gradually became Naadam. The festival is a patriotic event as people used to celebrate the freedom of Mongolia.
There are three major sports in Naadam festival: Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery tournaments. The way that Mongolians wrestle is slightly different. Without being timed, there will be 9 to 10 rounds. The loser is the one who first touches the ground with any body part other than his hands or feet. The participants will dress in traditional vests and shorts. Winners of the games are labeled as "elephants," "lions," and "giants."
You can have a glimpse at the nomadic culture as there are traditional ethnic performances and exquisite shows. As Mongolian culture is the mainstream in Ordos, Namdam Festival is the most popular festival in Ordos.
Bonfire Festival
Bonfire Festival is on June 18 every year, all the Mongolians will light up the bonfires, to celebrate their national festivals with dance and songs. Locals will put on festival clothes and gather at the bonfire square on that day. Bonfire Festival activities consist of three parts including an opening ceremony, traditional sports competitions, and bonfire entertainment party. Some traditional sports, such as horse racing, shooting, archery, wrestling, wrist wrestling, neck rope race and so on will be held.
Horse Milk Festival
Milk products are vital to Mongolians as those food are consumed on a daily bases. Therefore, Mongolians celebrate when they start to milk their milk cow each year. Hence, Horse Milk Festival is a traditional Mongolian festival celebrating the harvest. They believe it helps to bring more milk products in the future.
On that day, nomads will dress in traditional nomadic costumes and ride the horses. Lots of snacks and drinks will be prepared, such as milk, as well as the mutton and roasted whole lamb. After the horse racing competition, people will sing and dance. Some of them even read those traditional poems. The festival is usually held in late August of the lunar calendar.
Ordos Ice and Snow Culture Festival
The festival is mostly in late December to early January. Tourists can watch the traditional Mongolian games in Winter, such as wrestling, horseracing, and archery. Besides enjoying the performance, it is also a golden opportunity for visitors to learn about traditional customs and practices in Inner Mongolia as well as to enjoy a unique cultural experience.