What's on in Almaty, Kazakhstan through the year

Busy — Independence Day and New Year, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter smog (15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually)), Ski season above the city (1 Dec – 10 Apr (usually)), Independence Day and New Year (16 Dec – 5 Jan)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter smog (15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually)), Ski season above the city (1 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Nauryz

  21–23 MarNational holidayClosures

  The spring new year is a three-day public holiday: yurts go up on the squares, cauldrons of nauryz-kozhe are handed out free, and offices and many museums shut for the length of it. Source ↗

Still on: Winter smog (15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually)), Ski season above the city (1 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Busy — The May holidays, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Wild tulips in the foothills

  5 Apr – 15 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The garden tulip came from these mountains, and the wild Greigii and Kaufmanniana still come up red on the slopes above the city alongside the poppies. A fortnight, and it moves with the thaw.

• Holiday

  The May holidays

  30 Apr – 10 MayNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Three public holidays land inside ten days — Unity Day on the 1st, Defender's Day on the 7th, Victory Day on the 9th. Offices shut, the mountain roads fill and the city is quiet in a way that closes half the restaurants. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season above the city (1 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Busy — The May holidays, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Wild tulips in the foothills (5 Apr – 15 May (usually)), The May holidays (30 Apr – 10 May)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Mountain trail season

  15 Jun – 30 Sep · usually

  The trails above Medeu and the road to Big Almaty Lake clear of snow around the middle of June, and the passes towards the Kolsai lakes stay walkable until the first autumn snowfall closes them again.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Mountain trail season (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Mountain trail season (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Almaty Marathon, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Apple harvest in the foothills

  1 Sep – 15 Oct · usually

  The city is named for its apples and the local Aport comes off the orchards below the mountains through September, sold by the crate at the Green Bazaar before the imports take over again. Source ↗

• Festival

  Almaty Marathon

  27 SepMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  Central Asia's largest road race starts at Republic Square on the last Sunday of September and runs down Al-Farabi Avenue, which closes the main east-west artery for most of the morning. Source ↗

• Nature

  Golden autumn in the gorges

  25 Sep – 25 Oct · usuallyAutumn colour

  The birch and poplar in the Almarasan and Butakovka gorges turn before the first snow reaches the tree line, and the Charyn day trip is at its best in the same fortnight.

Still on: Mountain trail season (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Apple harvest in the foothills (1 Sep – 15 Oct (usually)), Golden autumn in the gorges (25 Sep – 25 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Winter smog

  15 Nov – 1 Mar · usuallySmoke season

  Coal heating and a valley inversion pin the smoke over the city for weeks at a time once the cold sets in. Residents check the air before deciding the day, and the standard escape is to ride the cable car up and get above the layer. Source ↗

Busy — Independence Day and New Year, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Ski season above the city

  1 Dec – 10 Apr · usually

  The lifts at Shymbulak start a half-hour bus ride from the centre, so skiing here needs no transfer and no resort week. Snow is most reliable in February and March, and the runs stay open into spring in a good year. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Independence Day and New Year

  16 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

  Independence Day on the 16th runs into the break that Kazakhstan actually keeps: from the 31st the offices, banks and a good share of the restaurants close for the best part of a week. Source ↗

Still on: Winter smog (15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually))