What's on in Kigali, Rwanda through the year

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

• Rule

  Umuganda community work morning

  1 Jan – 31 DecClosures

  On the last Saturday of every month the country does three hours of community work from eight until eleven. Shops stay shut, traffic is restricted, and visitors are expected to wait it out or join in. Source ↗

Busy — Tour du Rwanda, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Tour du Rwanda

  15 Feb – 2 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The country's stage race finishes with laps of the Kigali hills, and the roads on the circuit close for most of the day. Crowds line the climbs the way they do in Europe in July. Source ↗

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Tour du Rwanda, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The long rains

  1 Mar – 20 May · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The heavier of the two wet seasons: an hour of hard rain most afternoons rather than a grey day, and dirt roads outside the city that turn to clay. Everything is green and the hills are clear in the morning.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Tour du Rwanda (15 Feb – 2 Mar (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Kwibuka

  7–13 AprNational holidayClosures

  The national mourning period for the 1994 genocide opens on 7 April and the first week is observed strictly: public music stops, bars close early, and sport and entertainment are suspended. Behave accordingly. Source ↗

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The long rains (1 Mar – 20 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The long rains (1 Mar – 20 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

• Holiday

  Liberation Day

  4 JulNational holidayClosures

  The 4 July holiday marks the end of the genocide and closes offices and banks. It falls in the middle of the long dry season, which is the easiest time of year to be here. Source ↗

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

• Season

  The short rains

  1 Oct – 30 Nov · usuallyMonsoon

  A milder second wet season, mostly late-afternoon storms with clear mornings either side. Lodge rates outside the city drop for it and the tracks in the parks stay passable.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The short rains (1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Umuganda community work morning (1 Jan – 31 Dec)