What's on in Ramallah (West Bank), Palestine through the year

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  25 Jan – 25 Mar · usuallyClosures

  Cafés and the falafel places on Rukab Street shut through daylight; the city centre is at its most jammed in the half hour before iftar and then goes completely silent for an hour. Source ↗

Still on: The cold snaps (20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually)), The cold snaps (20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  1 Mar – 15 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Three days when the shops shut, families visit and the parks and the hill roads out towards Jericho fill with people taking the day out. Source ↗

• Nature

  Spring on the hills

  1 Mar – 30 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The terraced hills round the city green up and carry cyclamen, anemones and wild tulips for a few weeks. It is short, and it ends the moment the rain does.

Still on: Ramadan (25 Jan – 25 Mar (usually))

Busy — Eid al-Fitr, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (1 Mar – 15 Apr (usually)), Spring on the hills (1 Mar – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Eid al-Adha, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Eid al-Adha

  1 May – 5 Jun · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Eid al-Adha brings several days of public holiday: shops and offices close for the first days, families visit relatives, and parks, pools and restaurants fill. Traffic is heavy and waits at checkpoints can be longer. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Eid al-Adha, The hill summer

• Season

  The hill summer

  15 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

  Ramallah sits high enough to be the place the coast and the valley escape to, and the rooftop bars and outdoor cinemas run through the whole of it. Evenings need a jacket.

Still on: Eid al-Adha (1 May – 5 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The hill summer (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The hill summer (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — The hill summer, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The hill summer (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

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

• Nature

  Olive harvest

  1 Oct – 20 Nov · usually

  Families take a fortnight off to pick the terraces and the presses in the surrounding villages run day and night. Volunteers are often welcome, and the new oil is on every table by November.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Olive harvest (1 Oct – 20 Nov (usually))

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

• Season

  The cold snaps

  20 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyExtreme coldClosures

  A Mediterranean depression can put snow on these hills once or twice a winter, and the steep streets and the roads out are closed for it. Heating in older buildings is an afterthought.