What's on in Lusaka, Zambia through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Easter weekend

  20 Mar – 26 Apr · usuallyEaster & Holy WeekClosures

  All four days from Good Friday to Easter Monday are public holidays in Zambia, so offices, banks and many shops close for the long weekend. Plan errands and bank visits around it. Source ↗

Still on: Rainy-season flooding (1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

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

• Opening

  Lower Zambezi camp season

  1 Apr – 15 Nov · usuallySummer season opensBook early

  The safari camps in Lower Zambezi National Park, several hours' drive south-east of Lusaka or a short charter flight, open for the season after the rains and close again by mid-November, when the park roads become impassable. Source ↗

Still on: Easter weekend (20 Mar – 26 Apr (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Africa Freedom Day

  25 MayNational holidayClosures

  25 May marks the founding of the Organisation of African Unity and is a public holiday in Zambia; government offices and banks close. It falls in the first cool, dry weeks after the rains. Source ↗

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (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: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Heroes and Unity Days, Agricultural Show

• Holiday

  Heroes and Unity Days

  6–7 JulNational holidayClosures

  The first Monday and Tuesday of July are back-to-back public holidays, making a four-day weekend when offices shut and many residents leave the city; the Agricultural Show and Farmers' Day follow a few weeks later. Source ↗

• Festival

  Agricultural Show

  29 Jul – 3 AugTrade-fair weekCrowdedBook early

  Zambia's largest trade show takes over the Lusaka Showgrounds for a week in late July and early August, drawing thousands of exhibitors and visitors from agriculture and commerce. Hotel rooms in the capital tighten and prices rise for the run of the show. Source ↗

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Agricultural Show (29 Jul – 3 Aug)

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

• Nature

  Jacaranda season

  10 Sep – 31 Oct · usually

  Jacarandas along the older avenues and in suburbs such as Kabulonga flower purple from mid-September through October, in the dry weeks before the rains arrive. Source ↗

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  21–27 Oct · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Zambia's national day falls on 24 October, with government offices, banks and many shops closed and stadium celebrations and parades filling Lusaka for the holiday. Source ↗

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), Jacaranda season (10 Sep – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Lower Zambezi camp season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Hazard

  Rainy-season flooding

  1 Dec – 31 Mar · usuallyFlood season

  Poor drainage and dense informal settlements mean heavy rains regularly submerge roads and low-lying suburbs each rainy season. The flooding that struck the city over the 2023-24 season fed the country's worst cholera outbreak on record, and waterborne-disease risk rises with the rains. Source ↗