What's on in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Harmattan (15 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))

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

• Festival

  FESPACO

  20 Feb – 7 Mar · usuallyFilm festivalBook early

  Africa's biggest film festival takes over the city's cinemas and the Place des Cineastes for a week. It runs in odd years, and in those years every hotel room in Ouagadougou is spoken for. Source ↗

Still on: Harmattan (15 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))

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

• Season

  The hot season

  15 Mar – 31 May · usuallyExtreme heat

  The weeks before the rains break are the hardest of the year here, and the city moves indoors or under a tree between eleven and four. Nights barely cool down either.

Still on: FESPACO (20 Feb – 7 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: The hot season (15 Mar – 31 May (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: The hot season (15 Mar – 31 May (usually))

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

• Season

  The rains

  15 Jun – 20 Sep · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  Storms roll in off the Sahel with a dust wall in front of them, drop everything in an hour and clear. The unpaved streets flood, then drain, and the temperature finally comes down.

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The rains (15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The rains (15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The rains (15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — SIAO craft fair, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  SIAO craft fair

  25 Oct – 5 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  The international arts and crafts fair fills its own site on the edge of the city with traders from across West Africa for ten days. It runs in even years and is the largest event of its kind on the continent. Source ↗

Busy — SIAO craft fair, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Harmattan

  15 Nov – 20 Feb · usuallyDust season

  The full Sahelian version: a permanent film of dust, a sun you can look straight at, and mornings cold enough for a coat. It is also the coolest and most workable part of the year. Source ↗

Still on: SIAO craft fair (25 Oct – 5 Nov (usually))

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

• Holiday

  Proclamation of Independence

  11 DecNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The 11 December national day is celebrated in a different regional capital each year under the Faso Days programme, with roads and buildings put up for it. Offices close nationwide either way. Source ↗

Still on: Harmattan (15 Nov – 20 Feb (usually))