What's on in Lagos, Nigeria through the year

Busy — Detty December, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Detty December (10 Dec – 5 Jan)

Busy — Lagos City Marathon, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Lagos City Marathon

  5–20 Feb · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The course runs from the National Stadium over the Eko bridge and out along Ahmadu Bello Way, which means the island's main arteries are shut all morning on a Saturday in February. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in March.

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

Nothing new starts in May.

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

Nothing new starts in June.

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

• Season

  The August break

  25 Jul – 25 Aug · usuallyDry season

  A short dry spell in the middle of the wet season, cooler and greyer than the rest of the year, when the daily downpours ease for a few weeks. Its timing and length vary a lot year to year.

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The August break (25 Jul – 25 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Felabration

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  1 OctNational holidayClosures

  The 1 October holiday closes offices and banks. The national parade is in Abuja, so what Lagos gets is the quietest weekday traffic of the year and full beaches on the Lekki side. Source ↗

• Festival

  Felabration

  12–20 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A week at the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja around Fela Kuti's birthday, with a street parade, symposia and music until dawn. Go for the Shrine rather than the line-up. Source ↗

• Festival

  Lagos Fashion Week

  20 Oct – 1 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Four days of runway shows and a trade programme on Victoria Island, and the reason a certain kind of hotel room on the island is unbookable in late October. Source ↗

Busy — Lagos Fashion Week, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Lagos Fashion Week (20 Oct – 1 Nov (usually))

Busy — Detty December, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Detty December

  10 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The diaspora comes home and the city runs a concert calendar to match: fares from London and Atlanta at their yearly peak, hotels at double rate, and Lekki gridlocked from four in the afternoon. Source ↗