What's on in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually)), The Congo at full flow (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)), Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 2 Jan (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 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: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually))

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

• Season

  The dry season

  1 Jun – 15 Sep · usually

  The easiest months in the city: a grey-blue haze instead of downpours, cooler nights, and streets that stay passable. Everything outdoors gets scheduled into this window.

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  28 Jun – 2 Jul · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The 30th is the national day: a parade, the Boulevard du 30 Juin closed to traffic, and hotels full from a couple of days beforehand. Offices shut either side of it. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The dry season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)), Independence Day (28 Jun – 2 Jul (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 dry season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

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

• Season

  The rains

  20 Sep – 20 May · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  Rain runs most of the year here, in two heavy pushes around November and again in March and April. One storm is enough to flood the unpaved quarters and cut a road for a day.

Still on: The dry season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually))

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

• Nature

  The Congo at full flow

  1 Nov – 15 Jan · usuallyHigh waterRisk

  The river peaks around December, drowning the sandbanks between Kinshasa and Brazzaville and pushing water into the riverside quarters. The ferry crossing is quicker and rougher.

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually))

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 2 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  The loudest fortnight of the Kinshasa year: church through the night on the 31st, then the bars and the bands until morning. Almost nothing official opens for a week. Source ↗

Still on: The rains (20 Sep – 20 May (usually)), The Congo at full flow (1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually))