What's on in Bamako, Mali through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Bamako Encounters photo biennial (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)), Harmattan (25 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Harmattan (25 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  The hot months

  15 Mar – 31 May · usuallyExtreme heat

  The stretch between the harmattan lifting and the first rains is the hardest of the year. Power cuts take the fans with them, and nothing much happens outdoors between noon and four. Source ↗

Still on: Harmattan (25 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: The hot months (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Tabaski

  5 May – 5 Jun · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Eid al-Adha closes the city for two days and fills every spare lot with sheep for a fortnight beforehand. Buses out to the regions are booked solid, and the date moves about eleven days earlier each year. Source ↗

Still on: The hot months (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Tabaski (5 May – 5 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in July.

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

Nothing new starts in August.

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  22 SepNational holidayClosures

  Mali marks independence from France on 22 September. Ministries, banks and schools shut for the day and the state ceremony takes over the centre; the markets reopen the morning after as if nothing happened. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in October.

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

• Festival

  Bamako Encounters photo biennial

  1 Nov – 15 Jan · usuallyMajor festival

  African photography takes over the National Museum, the National Library and a string of smaller venues for about two months. It runs every second year, and which year it lands in has slipped more than once. Source ↗

• Season

  Harmattan

  25 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyDust season

  The Saharan wind arrives from the north-east in late November and stays until spring: dry air, a sky that never quite clears, and red dust over everything in the unpaved quarters. Some winters it barely lifts for days. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Bamako Encounters photo biennial (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)), Harmattan (25 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))