What's on in Beirut (Lebanon), Lebanon through the year

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

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  25 Jan – 25 Mar · usually

  Beirut is mixed enough that plenty stays open, but the Muslim quarters west and south of downtown shut through daylight and the traffic before iftar is genuinely bad. Nights are long and busy. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season above the city (20 Dec – 31 Mar (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)), Ski season above the city (20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

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

• Festival

  Easter, twice

  20 Mar – 10 May · usuallyEaster & Holy WeekClosures

  Lebanon keeps both calendars, so the country effectively takes two Easters some years and the closures are spread across several weeks. The Good Friday processions in Achrafieh are the ones to see. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually)), Ski season above the city (20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

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: Easter, twice (20 Mar – 10 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Easter, twice (20 Mar – 10 May (usually))

Busy — Beach club season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Beach club season

  15 Jun – 31 Oct · usuallySea warm enoughCrowded

  The strip of clubs from Ramlet al-Baida down the coast opens for the season and charges by the sunbed. The public beach is free and correspondingly crowded. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Beach club season, Diaspora summer

• Season

  Diaspora summer

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Expatriate Lebanese come home in July and August and the city runs on their money: flights double, restaurants need booking and the mountain villages above Beirut are fuller than the city. Source ↗

Still on: Beach club season (15 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Beach club season, Diaspora summer

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Beach club season (15 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)), Diaspora summer (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Busy — Beach club season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Beach club season (15 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Beach club season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Beach club season (15 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Beirut Marathon

• Festival

  Beirut Marathon

  29 NovMajor festivalCrowded

  The one day of the year the seafront and half the city centre belong to runners rather than cars, and the closures start early. It is as much a civic occasion as a race. Source ↗

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

• Season

  Ski season above the city

  20 Dec – 31 Mar · usually

  Faraya and the Cedars are inside two hours of the corniche, which is where the old line about skiing and swimming in one day comes from. Snow cover is unreliable at the bottom and the queues are worst at weekends. Source ↗