What's on in Cotonou, Benin through the year

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

• Holiday

  Vodun Day

  8–11 Jan · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  10 January is a public holiday for traditional religions, and the state-run Vodun Days programme in Ouidah, an hour west, has grown around it. Cotonou empties towards the coast road and the hotels in both towns fill. Source ↗

Still on: Harmattan haze (5 Dec – 10 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Harmattan haze (5 Dec – 10 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

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

• Hazard

  Rainy-season flooding

  15 Apr – 31 Jul · usuallyFlood season

  The long rains swamp Cotonou's low-lying districts and neighbouring Abomey-Calavi after heavy downpours, when drains overflow and whole streets sit under water for days. Allow extra time for any cross-town journey. Source ↗

Busy — Nonvitcha in Grand-Popo, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Nonvitcha in Grand-Popo

  10 May – 15 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  The Xwla and Xweda communities gather in Grand-Popo, a day trip west along the coast, every Pentecost since 1923: a thanksgiving mass on Nonvitcha square, canoe and swimming races, dances and evening concerts. Source ↗

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (15 Apr – 31 Jul (usually))

Busy — Nonvitcha in Grand-Popo, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (15 Apr – 31 Jul (usually)), Nonvitcha in Grand-Popo (10 May – 15 Jun (usually))

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

• Season

  The little dry season

  20 Jul – 10 Sep · usually

  The rains ease off for a few weeks in the middle of the wet half of the year. Locals call it the small dry season; the sky often stays grey but the roads dry out and the lagoon traffic gets moving again.

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (15 Apr – 31 Jul (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  1 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Benin marks 1 August with a military parade and offices closed nationwide. It falls inside the short dry break, so it is one of the more reliable outdoor dates of the Cotonou year. Source ↗

Still on: The little dry season (20 Jul – 10 Sep (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Oueme river flood

  1 Sep – 31 Oct · usuallyFlood season

  Later in the year the Oueme river spills into Lake Nokoue, flooding lakeside quarters such as Vossa, Fifadji and Dandji even when it is not raining in the city. The stilt village of Ganvie is reached by boat regardless. Source ↗

Still on: The little dry season (20 Jul – 10 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Oueme river flood (1 Sep – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in November.

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

• Season

  Harmattan haze

  5 Dec – 10 Feb · usuallyDust season

  The coast gets a thinned-down version of the northern harmattan: a flat white sky, dry air off the Sahara and dust on everything left out on the balcony. Some years it barely shows up at all. Source ↗