What's on in Malindi, Kenya through the year

Peak crowds — Italian winter season, Festive season peak

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Italian winter season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)), Festive season peak (18 Dec – 5 Jan)

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Malindi Billfish Tournament

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  17 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Malindi's old town has a long Swahili Muslim history and keeps the fast seriously: daytime kitchens close and hours shift there, even as the resort strip along the beach carries on for the winter charter crowd. Source ↗

• Festival

  Malindi Billfish Tournament

  10–20 Feb · usuallyCrowded

  The Malindi International Billfish Tournament gathers boats from along the coast in mid-February, timed to the marlin and sailfish season that runs roughly October to March. It is East Africa's qualifying leg for the world championships. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidClosures

  Three days of celebration end the fast, with the old town's streets and the beachfront full of families in new clothes. Transport and the popular restaurants book up locally. Source ↗

Still on: Italian winter season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowded

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, and many Kenyans head for the coast for the four-day weekend. Beach hotels fill and raise rates, and roads and the Mombasa train are busy, even though Easter often falls in the long rains. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Italian winter season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Italian winter season

• Closure

  Long-rains low season

  15 Apr – 30 Jun · usually

  With the long rains and the Italian winter crowd gone, many smaller hotels and beach restaurants close until July; those that stay open cut their rates. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr), Italian winter season (1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Long-rains low season (15 Apr – 30 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Long-rains low season (15 Apr – 30 Jun (usually))

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

• Nature

  Humpback whale season

  1 Jul – 31 Oct · usually

  Humpbacks pass along the Malindi-Watamu coast to calve and mate, most often in August. Boat trips run from Watamu, just south, under the Watamu Marine Association's whale-watching guidelines. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Humpback whale season (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Humpback whale season (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Humpback whale season (1 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in November.

Peak crowds — Italian winter season, Festive season peak

• Season

  Italian winter season

  1 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyWinter-sun seasonCrowded

  Malindi's high season is driven by Italian charter flights and long-staying visitors escaping Europe's cold, running from early December through Easter. Restaurants along the seafront still post their menus in Italian first. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Festive season peak

  18 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Christmas to New Year is the busiest fortnight on the coast: Kenyan families and holidaymakers from Nairobi arrive, hotels charge peak rates and book out months ahead, and beaches and restaurants are at their most crowded. New Year's Eve parties run late. Source ↗