What's on in Mindelo, Cabo Verde through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Bruma seca dust haze (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Mindelo Carnival, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Mindelo Carnival

  1 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The biggest carnival in Cape Verde, built on a Brazilian model and taken very seriously by the Sao Vicente groups. Beds on the island are gone months ahead and the ferry from Santo Antao runs full. The dates move with Easter. Source ↗

Still on: Bruma seca dust haze (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Mindelo Carnival, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Mindelo Carnival (1 Feb – 10 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Sao Joao at Ribeira de Juliao, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Sao Joao at Ribeira de Juliao

  20–24 JunReligious feastCrowded

  The feast of Saint John: a drum-led procession walks out of Mindelo to Ribeira de Juliao for the Kola San Jon dance, horse races, bonfire jumping and grilled food. Stalls go up days before the 24th. Source ↗

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  5 JulNational holidayClosures

  Cape Verde's 5 July holiday closes offices and banks and puts music on the Praca Nova. Inter-island ferries and flights run to holiday timetables around it. Source ↗

Busy — Baia das Gatas festival, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Baia das Gatas festival

  1–31 Aug · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  Three nights of Cape Verdean music on the beach at Baia das Gatas, timed to the August full moon, with half the island camping out there. Rooms in Mindelo go early and taxis back into town are a scrum. Source ↗

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

• Festival

  Mindelact theatre festival

  1–20 Sep · usuallyArts festival

  A week or so of theatre from Cape Verde, Portugal, Brazil and the African mainland, in the old Eden Park and out on the street. It is a quieter, more local draw than the summer festivals. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — ARC+ rally stopover, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  ARC+ rally stopover

  12–25 Nov · usuallySporting eventCrowded

  The transatlantic cruising rally from Las Palmas stops in Mindelo for a few days on its way to Grenada, filling the marina with yachts from dozens of countries and the waterfront bars with crews. Source ↗

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

• Hazard

  Bruma seca dust haze

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyDust season

  Saharan dust on the harmattan can blanket the islands for days, cutting visibility enough to divert or cancel flights into Sao Vicente and delay the Santo Antao ferry. Keep a spare day before an onward flight. Source ↗