What's on in Blantyre, Malawi through the year

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

• Hazard

  Cyclone rains and landslides

  1 Jan – 31 Mar · usuallyLandslide season

  Late-season tropical storms can dump days of rain on the southern highlands; in March 2023 Cyclone Freddy set off flash floods and mudslides below Soche Hill that killed hundreds in the city. Watch the forecasts and avoid hillside settlements in storms. Source ↗

• Holiday

  John Chilembwe Day

  15 JanNational holidayClosures

  A public holiday for the leader of the 1915 uprising. The memorial service and wreath-laying are at his Providence Industrial Mission in Chiradzulu, a short drive from Blantyre. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Cyclone rains and landslides (1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Cyclone rains and landslides (1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

• Season

  Cool dry season

  1 May – 31 Aug

  The rains have gone and the Shire Highlands turn cool enough for a jacket in the evening. It is the reliable half of the year for the drive up Zomba or a walk on Mulanje, and the dust has not yet built up. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Cool dry season (1 May – 31 Aug)

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Mount Mulanje Porters Race

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  5–7 JulNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The 6th is Malawi's national day. Banks, government offices and most of the trading centre shut, minibuses run thin, and the parks and the stadium take the crowd instead. Source ↗

• Festival

  Mount Mulanje Porters Race

  8–14 Jul · usuallySporting eventCrowded

  A 25 km run over the Mulanje massif, started by the mountain's own porters and now an international field. It is held on the second Saturday of July at Likhubula, about an hour and a half east of the city, and it fills every bed in Mulanje town. Source ↗

Still on: Cool dry season (1 May – 31 Aug)

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Cool dry season (1 May – 31 Aug)

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

• Festival

  Blantyre Arts Festival

  25 Sep – 15 Oct · usually

  A few days of theatre, traditional dance, music, film and art exhibitions around the Blantyre Cultural Centre, usually in early October, with a street procession to open it. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Blantyre Arts Festival (25 Sep – 15 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in November.

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

Nothing new starts in December.