What's on in Grand Baie, Mauritius through the year

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Festive season peak

• Festival

  Thaipoosam Cavadee

  15 Jan – 15 Feb · usuallyMajor festival

  Tamil Mauritians walk to the riverside temples carrying wooden cavadee frames after ten days of fasting, cheeks and tongues pierced. A public holiday, and a serious religious occasion rather than a parade. Source ↗

Still on: Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually)), Festive season peak (15 Dec – 10 Jan (usually))

Busy — Maha Shivaratri, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Maha Shivaratri

  10 Feb – 12 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk in white to the crater lake at Grand Bassin carrying bamboo kanwars. The main roads south fill with walkers for the better part of a week. Source ↗

Still on: Thaipoosam Cavadee (15 Jan – 15 Feb (usually)), Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Maha Shivaratri, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Maha Shivaratri (10 Feb – 12 Mar (usually)), Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

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

• Season

  The south-east trades

  15 May – 31 Oct · usuallyWind season

  The trade winds blow through the winter and the island reorganises around them. Grand Baie sits on the sheltered north coast, which is why the dive boats and the island-hopping trips leave from here.

Still on: Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: The south-east trades (15 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Nature

  Humpbacks off the west coast

  1 Jul – 31 Oct · usuallyWhale season

  Humpbacks pass along the west coast through the winter, and the boats that go out to them leave from Black River, an hour and a half down the coast rather than from Grand Baie itself.

Still on: The south-east trades (15 May – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The south-east trades (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Humpbacks off the west coast (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The south-east trades (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Humpbacks off the west coast (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Festival

  Diwali

  15 Oct – 15 Nov · usually

  Mauritius keeps Diwali properly: clay lamps and paper lanterns down every street in the Hindu villages, sweets handed over the fence, and a public holiday the day after. Source ↗

Still on: The south-east trades (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Humpbacks off the west coast (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Cyclone season

  15 Nov – 15 May · usually

  The Mauritius Meteorological Services run their cyclone warning classes from mid-November to mid-May. A class III shuts the island down, shops and boats included, usually for a day or two; January to March is the likeliest stretch. Source ↗

Still on: Diwali (15 Oct – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Festive season peak, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Festive season peak

  15 Dec – 10 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Mauritian families and the European winter arrive at once, and Grand Baie's beaches, boats and restaurants run at capacity. Rates go to their yearly high and the good tables need booking days ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Cyclone season (15 Nov – 15 May (usually))