What's on in Dakar, Senegal through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Saharan dust season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Saharan dust season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  4 AprNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The 4 April military parade closes the corniche and the centre for the morning. Offices and banks shut for the day, and the beaches at Ngor and Yoff fill in the afternoon. Source ↗

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

• Holiday

  Tabaski

  5 May – 5 Jun · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Eid al-Adha is the year's biggest day here. Sheep fill every vacant lot for weeks beforehand, prices jump, and the city shuts for two days while families eat. The date moves back about eleven days a year. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Tabaski (5 May – 5 Jun (usually))

Busy — Grand Magal de Touba, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Grand Magal de Touba

  10 Jul – 20 Aug · usuallyNational holidayClosures

  Several million Mourides travel to Touba for the pilgrimage and Dakar empties for two or three days. The roads east are solid, intercity transport is unusable, and much of the city is shut. Source ↗

• Season

  Hivernage

  10 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The short wet season: heavy storms in the evenings rather than all-day rain, humid air off the ocean, and standing water in the Pikine and Guediawaye suburbs for days after a big one. Source ↗

Busy — Grand Magal de Touba, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Grand Magal de Touba (10 Jul – 20 Aug (usually)), Hivernage (10 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Hivernage (10 Jul – 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 October.

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

• Festival

  Dak'Art contemporary art biennial

  15 Nov – 20 Dec · usuallyMajor festival

  The continent's longest-running contemporary African art biennial, with an official selection plus a sprawling OFF programme in galleries and flats across the city. It runs in even years and has been postponed before. Source ↗

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

• Season

  Saharan dust season

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyRisk

  Dust off the Sahara crosses the Cap-Vert peninsula through the cool months and drops the visibility to a few kilometres for days at a time. It is the reason a clear winter day here can still look grey. Source ↗

Still on: Dak'Art contemporary art biennial (15 Nov – 20 Dec (usually))