What's on in Chittagong, Bangladesh through the year

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

• Festival

  Maizbhandar Urs

  22–26 Jan · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  Hundreds of thousands of devotees converge on the Maizbhandar shrine in Fatikchhari, about 40 km north of the city, around 10 Magh (24 January) for Maizbhandari songs and kaviyal performances. Expect heavy traffic on the road north. Source ↗

Busy — Shiva Chaturdashi Mela, Sitakunda, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Shiva Chaturdashi Mela, Sitakunda

  10 Feb – 15 Mar · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  For about ten days in Phalgun, pilgrims climb the long stairway to Chandranath temple above Sitakunda, a short trip up the Dhaka highway. The fair crowds the town and the trail; go early in the day. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Shiva Chaturdashi Mela, Sitakunda, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  The city empties as garment and port workers go home to their villages, and every bus and train out is booked days ahead. What is left is quiet, with most shops and offices shut for the best part of a week. Source ↗

Still on: Shiva Chaturdashi Mela, Sitakunda (10 Feb – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Pahela Baishakh, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Pre-monsoon cyclone season

  1 Apr – 15 Jun · usually

  The first of the year's two storm windows, and the one that has done the most damage here. Warnings run on a numbered signal system, the port shuts when it climbs, and coastal roads close before landfall. Source ↗

• Festival

  Pahela Baishakh

  14 AprMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The Bengali new year, kept as a public holiday: morning processions in red and white, fairs in the parks, and shopkeepers opening the new ledger. It is one of the few days the city gives itself over to the street. Source ↗

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar)

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Pre-monsoon cyclone season (1 Apr – 15 Jun (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Monsoon landslides and waterlogging

  1 Jun – 30 Sep · usuallyLandslide season

  Heavy monsoon bursts bring deadly landslides on the cut hillsides around the city and knee-deep water in Agrabad and other low districts. Expect traffic standstills and check alerts before trips into the Hill Tracts. Source ↗

Still on: Pre-monsoon cyclone season (1 Apr – 15 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Monsoon landslides and waterlogging (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Monsoon landslides and waterlogging (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Monsoon landslides and waterlogging (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Post-monsoon cyclone season

  1 Oct – 15 Dec · usually

  The second window, peaking in November, and statistically the more active of the two across the Bay. Most years pass without a serious hit on the city, but the shipping and the ferries stop for days when one comes. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Post-monsoon cyclone season (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Post-monsoon cyclone season (1 Oct – 15 Dec (usually))