What's on in Tehran (Iran), Iran through the year

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

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  19 Feb – 20 MarClosures

  Restaurants shut through daylight and eating in the street is not an option; hotels feed guests behind closed curtains. The city runs late and the traffic peaks before iftar. Source ↗

Still on: Winter inversion smog (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Ski season above the city (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar), Winter inversion smog (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Ski season above the city (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Nowruz

• Festival

  Chaharshanbe Suri

  14–19 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalRisk

  The fire festival on the last Tuesday evening before the new year: bonfires at every junction, fireworks that are technically illegal, and hospitals braced for it. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Nowruz

  18 Mar – 5 Apr · usuallyNational holidayClosuresCrowdedBook early

  The Persian new year empties Tehran for a fortnight: offices, museums and half the restaurants shut, roads out of the city jam, and the air is the cleanest it gets all year. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar), Ski season above the city (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Nowruz (18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)), Ski season above the city (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Muharram and Ashura, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Muharram and Ashura

  16–25 JunMuharram & AshuraClosures

  Ten days of black banners, street kitchens handing out food and processions after dark, ending on Ashura when the city closes entirely. Music venues stay shut throughout. Source ↗

• Season

  The dry summer

  15 Jun – 5 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Hot and dusty at street level, several degrees cooler in the northern suburbs against the mountain, which is where the city goes in the evening. Air quality is at its best.

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Muharram and Ashura (16–25 Jun), The dry summer (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The dry summer (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: The dry summer (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in October.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Winter inversion smog

  15 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyWinter smogClosures

  Cold air traps the traffic exhaust against the mountains for days at a time and the government closes schools and offices when it gets bad. It is the worst thing about a Tehran winter. Source ↗

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

• Season

  Ski season above the city

  15 Dec – 10 Apr · usually

  Dizin, Shemshak and the Tochal gondola from the top of the metro line: real snow, an hour from the centre, and a season that usually runs from December into April.

• Festival

  Yalda night

  20–21 DecMajor festival

  The longest night is spent indoors with family, watermelon, pomegranates and poetry read aloud. Nothing closes, but the city is at home rather than out. Source ↗

Still on: Winter inversion smog (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))