What's on in Saint-Louis, Senegal 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: Djoudj bird season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)), Saharan dust (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Djoudj bird season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)), Saharan dust (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Djoudj bird season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  4 AprNational holidayClosures

  Senegal's 4 April holiday closes offices and banks. The set-piece parade is in Dakar, so here it is mostly a quiet day with the island's shutters down. Source ↗

Still on: Djoudj bird season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Tabaski, Saint-Louis Jazz

• Holiday

  Tabaski

  5 May – 5 Jun · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Eid al-Adha shuts the town for a couple of days and sends everyone home to family. Sheep occupy the vacant ground on the mainland side for weeks beforehand and prices rise with them. Source ↗

• Festival

  Saint-Louis Jazz

  13–17 MayMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  West Africa's longest-running jazz festival takes over the island for five nights in May, with the free off-programme in the streets doing as much work as the main stage. Rooms on the island go early. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Tabaski (5 May – 5 Jun (usually))

Busy — Grand Magal de Touba, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Grand Magal de Touba

  5 Jul – 20 Aug · usuallyPilgrimage seasonCrowdedClosures

  Millions of Mourides travel to Touba for the Grand Magal, a public holiday that follows the Islamic calendar. Buses and sept-place taxis across the country are packed for days either side, and the town is quieter while pilgrims are away. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Senegal River flood season

  15 Jul – 31 Oct · usually

  Rain far upstream swells the Senegal River from July to October, and in high years it spills into low-lying mainland neighbourhoods and the northern tip of the island. Local downpours add to it where the drains back up. Source ↗

Busy — Grand Magal de Touba, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Grand Magal de Touba (5 Jul – 20 Aug (usually)), Senegal River flood season (15 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Magal of the Two Rakkas, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Magal of the Two Rakkas

  3–5 Sep · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  Each 5 September Mourides gather in Saint-Louis to commemorate the two prayer units Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba performed in the colonial governor's office in 1895. Thousands of pilgrims fill the island and the streets around the governorate. Source ↗

Still on: Senegal River flood season (15 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Senegal River flood season (15 Jul – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Nature

  Djoudj bird season

  1 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyBirdlife season

  Djoudj, an hour north, is the first fresh water millions of European migrants meet after the Sahara. Pelicans and flamingos are on the flood plain through the northern winter; the boats go out at dawn. Source ↗

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

• Season

  Saharan dust

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyDust season

  Dust off the desert crosses the river mouth through the cool months and drops the visibility for days at a time. It is why a dry January afternoon on the Pont Faidherbe can still look grey. Source ↗

Still on: Djoudj bird season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))