What's on in Mecca, Saudi Arabia through the year

Busy — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Rule

  Entry restricted to Muslims

  1 Jan – 31 DecClosures

  The city is closed to non-Muslims year round, and the checkpoints on the approach roads enforce it. Everything below assumes you are travelling for Umrah or Hajj, which is the only reason anyone comes. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Ramadan Umrah season

  18 Feb – 19 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedBook early

  The busiest month of the year at the Grand Mosque outside Hajj itself. Permits are issued through the official app and rooms within walking distance of the Haram are booked out months ahead at multiples of the usual rate. Source ↗

Still on: The quiet Umrah months (15 Oct – 10 Feb (usually)), Winter flash floods (1 Nov – 31 Jan (usually))

Busy — Ramadan Umrah season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  The last ten nights

  10–19 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedBook earlyRisk

  The final third of Ramadan, when pilgrims come looking for Laylat al-Qadr and the mataf fills to capacity. Permit slots vanish within minutes of release and the authorities cap repeat Umrah to one per pilgrim. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ramadan Umrah season (18 Feb – 19 Mar), The quiet Umrah months (15 Oct – 10 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan Umrah season, The last ten nights

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidCrowded

  The Eid prayer at the Haram, then a sharp drop as the Ramadan crowd flies home over the following week. The days immediately after are among the quietest of the year in the mosque. Source ↗

• Rule

  Umrah season closes before Hajj

  15 Mar – 15 May · usuallyClosures

  Umrah visas stop being issued some weeks before Hajj and holders must leave the kingdom by an announced date, so the mosque empties out ahead of the pilgrimage. The cut-off is published each year and moves with the lunar calendar. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ramadan Umrah season (18 Feb – 19 Mar), The last ten nights (10–19 Mar)

Busy — Hajj, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Hajj

  20 Apr – 20 Jun · usuallyPilgrimage seasonCrowdedClosuresBook earlyRisk

  Five days that move the whole city: Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, then the return. Numbers are capped by country quota, the roads into Mecca close to everyone else, and the heat during a summer Hajj is the main risk. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Umrah season closes before Hajj (15 Mar – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Hajj, Eid al-Adha

• Holiday

  Eid al-Adha

  27–30 MayRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  The pilgrimage ends at Eid and the kingdom takes several days off with it. Everything in Mecca is running at capacity, and the exit flights out of Jeddah are the tightest of the year. Source ↗

• Season

  Summer heat in the valley

  15 May – 15 SepExtreme heat

  The city sits in a bare rock valley with nothing to soften the afternoon. Marble courtyards are cooled and misted, but the walk between the mosque and the hotels is the part that catches people out.

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Umrah season closes before Hajj (15 Mar – 15 May (usually)), Hajj (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually))

Peak crowds — Hajj, Saudi summer holidays

• Holiday

  Saudi summer holidays

  15 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallySchool holidaysCrowded

  The kingdom's schools break and domestic Umrah picks up sharply with them, so the mosque runs busy through the night and thin in the afternoon. It lands on the worst of the heat in the valley. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Hajj (20 Apr – 20 Jun (usually)), Eid al-Adha (27–30 May), Summer heat in the valley (15 May – 15 Sep)

Busy — Saudi summer holidays, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat in the valley (15 May – 15 Sep), Saudi summer holidays (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat in the valley (15 May – 15 Sep), Saudi summer holidays (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat in the valley (15 May – 15 Sep)

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

• Season

  The quiet Umrah months

  15 Oct – 10 Feb · usuallyOff-season shutdown

  Between the Hajj crowds and Ramadan the mosque is at its emptiest and the walk to it is bearable. Permits come easily, rooms near the Haram cost a fraction of the Ramadan rate, and the tawaf takes a fraction of the time. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Winter flash floods

  1 Nov – 31 Jan · usuallyFlood season

  The valley takes most of its rain in a handful of storms and the runoff comes off bare rock into the streets, shutting underpasses and approach roads for a few hours. It has reached the mosque courtyards before now. Source ↗

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The quiet Umrah months (15 Oct – 10 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Entry restricted to Muslims (1 Jan – 31 Dec), The quiet Umrah months (15 Oct – 10 Feb (usually)), Winter flash floods (1 Nov – 31 Jan (usually))