What's on in Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Nightly curfew

  1 Jan – 31 DecClosures

  A curfew has run every night since 2022. The hours are set by the city military administration and have moved more than once, running midnight to five for most of 2026 and easing to one until five from 10 September; nothing legally moves in between. Source ↗

Still on: Christmas and New Year (6 Dec – 1 Jan (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Easter, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter

  1 Apr – 10 May · usuallyClosures

  Baskets of paska and painted eggs are blessed outside the Lavra and St Sophia at first light on Easter morning, the one service the curfew is stood down for. Shops and offices close for the Monday. Source ↗

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

• Nature

  Chestnuts in flower

  1–20 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The horse chestnuts on the city's own arms come out in the first half of May, along Khreshchatyk and down the Dnipro slopes, with the lilac at Hryshko a week behind them.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Easter (1 Apr – 10 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  24 AugNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The national day on 24 August. The military parades stopped in 2022; the day is marked with exhibitions and memorials along Khreshchatyk instead, and almost everything else is shut. Source ↗

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Christmas and New Year

  6 Dec – 1 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Ukraine moved Christmas to 25 December in 2023. The tree goes up on Sofiiska Square in early December and the markets around it are smaller than they were, and close in time for the curfew. Source ↗

Still on: Nightly curfew (1 Jan – 31 Dec)