What's on in Ezulwini Valley (Lobamba), Eswatini through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Thunderstorm and lightning season (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Mantenga Falls in full flow (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Incwala (20 Dec – 15 Jan (usually))

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

• Festival

  Buganu, the Marula Festival

  10 Feb – 15 Mar · usuallyHarvest

  Women brew marula beer and bring it to the King and Queen Mother, first at the Buhleni royal residence in February, then at Hlane in the east in March. Free to attend; dress codes apply, so no trousers for women. Source ↗

Still on: Thunderstorm and lightning season (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Mantenga Falls in full flow (15 Nov – 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: Buganu, the Marula Festival (10 Feb – 15 Mar (usually)), Thunderstorm and lightning season (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Mantenga Falls in full flow (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

• Season

  Winter dry season

  1 May – 31 Aug

  The rains stop and the middleveld turns brown and clear. Mornings in the valley are cold enough for a fire and the afternoons are the reason people come up from Durban for a long weekend.

• Festival

  MTN Bushfire

  25–31 May · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  A three-day music and arts festival at House on Fire in the Malkerns valley, twenty minutes down the road, and the one weekend of the year when every bed between Mbabane and Manzini is taken. It has sold out well in advance. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

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

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

Nothing new starts in July.

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

Busy — Umhlanga, the Reed Dance, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Umhlanga, the Reed Dance

  25 Aug – 5 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Tens of thousands of young women cut reeds and dance them to the queen mother's residence at Ludzidzini, at the top of this valley. The main day is a public holiday and the roads through the valley are closed to normal traffic for it. Source ↗

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

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Umhlanga, the Reed Dance

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Umhlanga, the Reed Dance (25 Aug – 5 Sep (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Thunderstorm and lightning season

  15 Oct – 31 Mar · usuallyStorm season

  Eswatini has recorded one of the world's highest lightning death rates, almost all in afternoon summer storms. Plan hikes on Sibebe or in Mlilwane for the morning and get off exposed ground by early afternoon. Source ↗

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

• Nature

  Mantenga Falls in full flow

  15 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyHigh water

  The summer rains turn Mantenga, the country's biggest waterfall by volume, from a trickle into a proper cascade. Pair it with the cultural village next door, but expect slippery paths after storms. Source ↗

Still on: Thunderstorm and lightning season (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

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

• Festival

  Incwala

  20 Dec – 15 Jan · usuallyReligious feastClosures

  The kingship ceremony at Lobamba, timed by the moon and running over several weeks with the Big Incwala at its centre. It is a sacred occasion rather than a show: photography is restricted and the country stops for the main day. Source ↗

Still on: Thunderstorm and lightning season (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually)), Mantenga Falls in full flow (15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))