SeasonMapWhat's on in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea through the year
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea has 5 curated events through the year — 2 holidays, 2 seasons and 1 local rule. The ones to plan around: South-east trade season (May) and Independence Day (September). July and September are its peak-crowd months.
Updated September 2026 · every event curated and sourced · dates for 2026 where they are announced, the usual window where they are not
Best time to visit Port Moresby: weather, crowds and notes →
Port Moresby events and crowds by month
January in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in January →Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather
- Rule
Kokoda trek permit
1 Jan – 31 DecEveryone walking the Kokoda Track needs a permit from the track authority, independent or on a tour, and the fee funds the villages along it. Owers' Corner, the southern trailhead, is an hour and a half out of Moresby. Source ↗
February in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in February →Quiet — one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in February.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)
March in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in March →Quiet — one of its worst months for weather
Nothing new starts in March.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)
April in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in April →Busy — Kokoda walking season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it
- Season
Kokoda walking season
1 Apr – 15 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonCrowdedBook earlyCompanies run the track between about April and November, when the creek crossings are lower and the mud is merely bad. The two Anzac-week departures and the August school groups fill first.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)
May in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in May →Busy — Kokoda walking season
- Season
South-east trade season
1 May – 31 OctDry seasonMoresby sits in a rain shadow and its dry half is properly dry, brown and breezy — nothing like the rest of the country. It is also when the Owen Stanley crossings and the coastal boats are dependable.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))
June in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in June →Busy — Kokoda walking season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in June.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), South-east trade season (1 May – 31 Oct)
July in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in July →Peak crowds — Kokoda walking season, National Remembrance Day
- Holiday
National Remembrance Day
23 JulNational holidayClosures23 July is Papua New Guinea's own war remembrance day, marked at Bomana cemetery outside the city. A national public holiday, distinct from the Australian Anzac services also held here in April. Source ↗
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), South-east trade season (1 May – 31 Oct)
August in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in August →Busy — Kokoda walking season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in August.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), South-east trade season (1 May – 31 Oct)
September in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in September →Peak crowds — Kokoda walking season, Independence Day
- Holiday
Independence Day
14–18 SepNational holidayCrowdedClosures16 September, independence from Australia in 1975, and the week around it is the one time provincial dance groups come into the capital in numbers. Offices shut and the city is busy in a way it usually is not. Source ↗
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), South-east trade season (1 May – 31 Oct)
October in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in October →Busy — Kokoda walking season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it
Nothing new starts in October.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually)), South-east trade season (1 May – 31 Oct)
November in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in November →Busy — Kokoda walking season
Nothing new starts in November.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Kokoda walking season (1 Apr – 15 Nov (usually))
December in Port Moresby
Port Moresby weather in December →Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month
Nothing new starts in December.
Still on: Kokoda trek permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)