What's on in Brazzaville, Congo through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Congo River flood season (15 Nov – 31 Jan (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Storm flooding and gullies

  15 Feb – 15 May · usuallyFlood season

  The heaviest downpours of the long rainy season swamp low streets and cut erosion gullies through the northern districts; drainage is undersized, so a single storm can leave roads impassable. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Storm flooding and gullies (15 Feb – 15 May (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: Storm flooding and gullies (15 Feb – 15 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Storm flooding and gullies (15 Feb – 15 May (usually))

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

• Season

  The long dry season

  1 Jun – 20 Sep · usually

  Four months when the rain simply stops. It is cooler and often overcast rather than blue, the dust comes back to the unsealed streets, and it is the stretch when the roads out towards the Pool are dependable.

Busy — FESPAM pan-African music festival, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  FESPAM pan-African music festival

  15–31 Jul · usuallyCrowded

  A week of Congolese rumba and continental line-ups around the Palais des Congres, usually in the second half of July. It is billed as biennial but has skipped years and moved more than once, so check before you plan around it. Source ↗

Still on: The long dry season (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

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

• Holiday

  National Day

  15 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Independence from France, 15 August 1960, and the biggest civic date of the year. Ministries and banks shut, the corniche is closed for the parade, and the city keeps going into the evening. Source ↗

Still on: The long dry season (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The long dry season (1 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

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

• Hazard

  Congo River flood season

  15 Nov – 31 Jan · usually

  The river runs highest at the end of the year while storms overwhelm the drains, so low-lying districts such as Talangai and Mfilou can flood and roads get cut. The winter of 2023-24 brought record high water. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Republic Day

  28 NovNational holidayClosures

  28 November marks the proclamation of the republic. Offices close for the day; it falls in the heart of the second rains, so it is a shorter affair outdoors than the August date. Source ↗

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

• Festival

  Mantsina sur scene theatre festival

  5–23 Dec · usuallyArts festival

  An international theatre festival held every December since 2003, with plays, dance, readings and workshops at the Institut Francais and venues around the city. Source ↗

Still on: Congo River flood season (15 Nov – 31 Jan (usually))