What's on in Bangui, Central African Republic 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: The dry months (25 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: The dry months (25 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Boganda Day

  29 MarNational holidayClosures

  The 29 March holiday for Barthelemy Boganda, the country's founding figure, closes government offices and banks. It is one of the few dates the capital reliably marks in public. Source ↗

Still on: The dry months (25 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

• Closure

  Rainy-season road closures

  1 May – 31 Oct · usuallyRisk

  Only a sliver of the country's roads are paved, and from May the dirt routes out of Bangui can be cut for days or weeks by washed-out bridges. Overland trips beyond the city are a dry-season undertaking. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Rainy-season road closures (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Rainy-season road closures (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  13 AugNational holidayClosures

  Independence from France, 13 August 1960. Offices and banks close and the ceremony draws a heavy security presence; it falls in the middle of the wettest stretch of the year, so it is rarely a long day outdoors. Source ↗

Still on: Rainy-season road closures (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Rainy-season road closures (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Ubangi River flood season

  1 Oct – 30 Nov · usually

  The river peaks at the end of the rains and low-lying riverside districts of Bangui and Bimbo can flood; in 2019 it burst its banks in mid-October and tens of thousands in the city were affected. Source ↗

Still on: Rainy-season road closures (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Season

  The dry months

  25 Nov – 5 Mar · usuallyDry season

  The short window when the laterite roads out of the city are firm and the Oubangui drops far enough for the sandbanks to show. The security advice for the country does not change with the weather. Source ↗

Still on: Ubangi River flood season (1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually))

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

• Holiday

  National Day

  1 DecNational holidayClosures

  1 December marks the proclamation of the republic in 1958 and is the bigger of the country's two national dates in practice. Everything official shuts for the day. Source ↗

Still on: The dry months (25 Nov – 5 Mar (usually))