What's on in Baghdad, Iraq through the year

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  18 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Offices barely open before noon and the city moves to the night: Karrada and the riverside on Abu Nuwas Street are busier after iftar than at any other time of year. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar)

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–22 MarRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Three or four days when government offices and most shops close and families take the river parks. Domestic flights and buses are booked well ahead. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Shamal dust storms

  15 Mar – 30 Jun · usuallyDust seasonClosures

  North-westerlies lift the dried marsh and desert soil; a bad day turns the sky orange and grounds flights at Baghdad International. Several a season, each lasting a day or two. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar)

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–22 Mar), Shamal dust storms (15 Mar – 30 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Shamal dust storms (15 Mar – 30 Jun (usually))

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

• Season

  Fifty degrees and power cuts

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The government has declared days off when the temperature passes fifty, and the generators are loudest exactly when the grid is weakest. Anything outdoors happens after ten at night.

• Holiday

  Ashura

  25–26 JunClosuresCrowded

  Black banners across the city and processions at Kadhimiya. Offices close for the day and the roads south towards Karbala are solid from the night before. Source ↗

Still on: Shamal dust storms (15 Mar – 30 Jun (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Arbaeen

  25 Jul – 4 AugMuharram & AshuraCrowdedClosuresBook early

  Millions walk south to Karbala in the fortnight before the day itself, and Baghdad's southern exits, hotels and buses go with them. Very little about the city moves normally that week. Source ↗

Still on: Fifty degrees and power cuts (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Ashura (25–26 Jun)

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Fifty degrees and power cuts (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Arbaeen (25 Jul – 4 Aug)

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Fifty degrees and power cuts (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

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

Nothing new starts in December.