What's on in Ürümqi (Xinjiang), China through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Clocks run on two times at once

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Everything official is Beijing time, two hours ahead of the sun. Offices and Han-run businesses mostly keep it; a lot of the city does not. Ask which time a departure means. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (20 Nov – 20 Mar (usually)), The deep cold (1 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ski season (20 Nov – 20 Mar (usually)), The deep cold (1 Dec – 20 Feb (usually))

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

• Season

  Spring dust

  15 Mar – 15 May · usuallyDust season

  Spring lifts the basin's dust into the wind gap the city sits in. The mountains disappear for days at a time, which matters if the Tianshan is why you came.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ski season (20 Nov – 20 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring dust (15 Mar – 15 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring dust (15 Mar – 15 May (usually))

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

• Season

  Grassland summer

  15 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallySummer season opens

  The short window when the Nanshan and Tianchi pastures are green and the herders' summer camps are up. It is what the whole city drives out for at weekends.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Grassland summer (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Melon and grape season

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyHarvest

  The bazaars fill with what the oases send in — Hami melons, Turpan grapes, figs and mulberries. Late summer is the one thing everyone in Xinjiang agrees is worth timing a trip to.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Grassland summer (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Melon and grape season (1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — National Day Golden Week in China, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Ski season

  20 Nov – 20 Mar · usually

  The Nanshan resorts are forty minutes from the city, which is closer than any other Chinese ski area sits to a provincial capital. Cold, dry snow and short days.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

• Season

  The deep cold

  1 Dec – 20 Feb · usuallyExtreme cold

  One of the most continental cities on Earth, and it shows for about three months. The Tianchi road above the city ices over and the day is short enough to plan around.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ski season (20 Nov – 20 Mar (usually))