What's on in Jakarta, Indonesia through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Year-end break in Indonesia

• Season

  Flood season

  1 Jan – 28 Feb · usuallyRisk

  The peak of the wet season is also when the canals back up and whole districts go under for a day or two. Toll roads close, trains stop, and the city works around it rather than shutting.

Still on: Christmas and New Year (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Busy — Ramadan and the mudik exodus, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Ramadan and the mudik exodus

  5 Feb – 25 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidClosures

  Millions leave for their home towns in the days around Eid and the traffic simply stops being there — the only week of the year Jakarta is quiet. Half the small kitchens close with it. Source ↗

Still on: Flood season (1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan and the mudik exodus, Lebaran (Idul Fitri) break in Indonesia

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Ramadan and the mudik exodus (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — Ramadan and the mudik exodus, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ramadan and the mudik exodus (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Peak crowds — Jakarta Fair, Mid-year break in Indonesia

• Season

  Dry season

  1 Jun – 30 Sep · usually

  The rain stops and the flooding with it, which is the practical case for coming now. The trade-off is that the air over the city is at its worst without rain to wash it down.

• Festival

  Jakarta Fair

  11 Jun – 12 JulMajor festivalCrowded

  A month-long trade fair and funfair at Kemayoran for the city's anniversary, with nightly concerts and several thousand stalls. It is the closest thing Jakarta has to a civic festival. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Dry-season smog

  15 Jun – 15 Oct · usuallyWinter smog

  Traffic, coal plants along the coast and no rain to clear it: Jakarta regularly ranks among the world's most polluted major cities in these months. The skyline goes grey from the middle distance out. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Jakarta Fair, Mid-year break in Indonesia

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Dry season (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), Jakarta Fair (11 Jun – 12 Jul), Dry-season smog (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  17 AugNational holidayClosures

  Flags on every gate, kampung games in the side streets and a ceremony at the palace. Central roads close and the city takes the day off. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), Dry-season smog (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Dry season (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), Dry-season smog (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Dry-season smog (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Year-end break in Indonesia

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  Malls do the decorations properly and the long weekend empties the offices, but this is the wet season and the fortnight most likely to end with a flooded street outside the hotel. Source ↗