What's on in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Brunei December Festival (22 Dec – 1 Jan (usually))

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

• Rule

  Ramadan: no eating in public

  5 Feb – 25 Mar · usuallyRamadan & EidClosures

  Brunei enforces the fast in public, and that includes visitors: no eating or drinking outdoors in daylight, and restaurants serve takeaway only until dusk. The stalls that open after sunset are the compensation. Source ↗

• Holiday

  National Day

  23 FebNational holidayCrowded

  A mass parade on the padang in the middle of town, rehearsed on the same ground for weeks beforehand. Expect road closures around the mosque and the waterfront on the day itself. Source ↗

Busy — Hari Raya and the palace open house, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Hari Raya and the palace open house

  1 Mar – 10 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  The Sultan opens Istana Nurul Iman for three days when the fast ends and something like a hundred thousand people queue through it for a meal, a handshake and a gift. Offices and most shops shut for the week. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan: no eating in public (5 Feb – 25 Mar (usually))

Busy — Hari Raya and the palace open house, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Hari Raya and the palace open house (1 Mar – 10 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Busy — Sultan's birthday, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Sultan's birthday

  15 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Offices and most shops close for the day and the capital marks it with an investiture and public events near the padang. District celebrations carry on for weeks either side of it. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in August.

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

Nothing new starts in September.

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Quiet — one of its worst 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

• Festival

  Brunei December Festival

  22 Dec – 1 Jan · usuallyMajor festival

  The tourism board runs ten days of markets, river events and food stalls around the capital from 22 December to New Year's Day. For a country with no bars and no nightlife to speak of, it is the busiest the city gets. Source ↗