What's on in Amman (Jordan), Jordan through the year

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  25 Jan – 25 Mar · usuallyClosures

  Downtown restaurants shut through the day and the traffic on the circles is at its worst in the hour before iftar. After dark the tents and the sweet shops in Jabal Amman run until very late. Source ↗

Still on: The cold snaps (20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually)), The cold snaps (20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  1 Mar – 15 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowdedBook early

  Three or four days when Amman empties towards the Dead Sea and Aqaba and half the shops stay shut. Book anything on the coast or at the resorts well ahead, and expect the Desert Highway to be slow. Source ↗

• Nature

  Spring on the hills

  15 Mar – 5 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The stony ground north and west of the city greens up and carries poppies, anemones and the black iris that Jordan puts on its stamps. It lasts weeks, not months, and a dry winter cancels it. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Eid al-Fitr

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (1 Mar – 15 Apr (usually)), Spring on the hills (15 Mar – 5 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Spring on the hills (15 Mar – 5 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Busy — Jerash Festival, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Jerash Festival

  20 Jul – 5 Aug · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Jordan's big summer culture festival, staged in the Roman theatres an hour north of the city. Amman hotels fill on the performance nights and the road up through Suweileh backs up in the evening. Source ↗

• Festival

  Amman International Film Festival

  20 Jul – 10 Aug · usually

  A first-features festival with an Arab-cinema focus, screening across the western half of the city. Small enough that tickets are easy and the directors are actually in the room. Source ↗

Busy — Jerash Festival, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Jerash Festival (20 Jul – 5 Aug (usually)), Amman International Film Festival (20 Jul – 10 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  The cold snaps

  20 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyExtreme coldClosures

  Amman sits high enough that a Mediterranean depression can put snow on the hills two or three times a winter. The city has little kit for it: schools close, the steep streets ice over and everything stops for a day. Source ↗