What's on in Luxor (Thebes), Egypt through the year

Peak crowds — Nile cruise season, Mid-year holiday in Egypt

• Festival

  Moulid of Abu el-Haggag

  2–4 FebMajor festivalCrowded

  Luxor's own festival: boat floats hauled round the mosque above the temple, horse races and stick dancing for three days. It falls two weeks before Ramadan, so it moves earlier each year. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  19 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Sites and cruise boats run normally, but drivers, guides and crew are fasting through the hottest part of the day and the town only eats after sunset. Tip and time accordingly. Source ↗

Still on: Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Moulid of Abu el-Haggag, Ramadan

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Moulid of Abu el-Haggag (2–4 Feb), Ramadan (19 Feb – 19 Mar), Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–22 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  Egyptian holiday crowds at the temples and on the ferries, and a west bank that is busier at dawn than at any other time. Three or four days, then it empties again. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Khamaseen dust winds

  1 Mar – 15 May · usuallyDust seasonClosures

  Spring southerlies fill the valley with sand for a day or two at a time and ground the dawn balloon flights. Tomb visits are unaffected; the view from anywhere is not. Source ↗

Still on: Moulid of Abu el-Haggag (2–4 Feb), Ramadan (19 Feb – 19 Mar), Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–22 Mar), Khamaseen dust winds (1 Mar – 15 May (usually)), Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Khamaseen dust winds (1 Mar – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Summer holidays in Egypt

• Season

  The Valley in high summer

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The tombs are worked from dawn and abandoned by ten. Cruises still run and the town is cheap and empty, which is a trade some people happily make.

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The Valley in high summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The Valley in high summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Egypt, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The Valley in high summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Nile cruise season

  1 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The boats run Luxor to Aswan through the cool half of the year, and the temples are busiest for the two hours after a fleet ties up. Go at opening or at the end of the day.

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Nile cruise season, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Nile cruise season (1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))