What's on in Skopje, North Macedonia through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter air pollution (1 Nov – 28 Feb)

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Winter air pollution (1 Nov – 28 Feb)

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Busy — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

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

Nothing new starts in May.

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

• Festival

  Skopje Summer Festival

  21 Jun – 31 JulMajor festival

  Six weeks of music, theatre, dance and film staged in the Kale fortress, the Old Bazaar and the city's squares, much of it outdoors and free. It runs from midsummer to the end of July, through the hottest weeks here. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Vardar valley heat

  1 Jul – 25 AugExtreme heat

  The city sits in a closed basin that traps heat as effectively as it traps smoke in winter, and the concrete rebuild after 1963 does not help. Matka canyon and the Vodno slopes are where people go for air. Source ↗

Still on: Skopje Summer Festival (21 Jun – 31 Jul)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  August exodus

  1–25 AugSchool holidaysClosures

  The city empties towards Ohrid and the Greek coast and a good share of the restaurants simply shut for a fortnight. Hot, quiet and short of anywhere to eat.

Still on: Vardar valley heat (1 Jul – 25 Aug)

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

Nothing new starts in September.

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

• Festival

  Skopje Jazz Festival

  10–31 Oct · usuallyMajor festival

  Running since 1982 and with a better booking record than the city's size suggests, held in the Universal Hall and smaller venues over four or five nights. Autumn here is the pleasant season. Source ↗

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Winter air pollution

  1 Nov – 28 FebWinter smog

  Household heating and traffic under a valley inversion make this one of the worst-affected capitals in Europe, and schools have been closed over it. Wind or rain clears it within a day; still cold weather brings it straight back. Source ↗

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Winter air pollution (1 Nov – 28 Feb)