What's on in Yaoundé, Cameroon through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: The dry months (1 Dec – 5 Mar (usually)), Christmas and New Year (20 Dec – 2 Jan)

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

• Holiday

  Youth Day

  11 FebNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Every school in the country marches on 11 February, and in the capital that means the Boulevard du 20 Mai closed for most of the morning. Offices shut; traffic afterwards is worse than the parade. Source ↗

Still on: The dry months (1 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: The dry months (1 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in April.

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

• Holiday

  National Day

  20 MayNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  The 20 May military and civil parade is the state's biggest set piece and it happens here, on the boulevard named after it. Central Yaounde is shut to traffic and heavily policed for the day. Source ↗

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

• Season

  The short dry season

  15 Jun – 15 Aug · usually

  Between the two rainy seasons the rain eases off for a few weeks, under mostly grey skies. Dirt roads out of town are easier than in September and October. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The short dry season (15 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The short dry season (15 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

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

• Hazard

  Flash-flood season

  1 Sep – 31 Oct · usually

  The heaviest downpours of the year overwhelm blocked drains along the Mfoundi; streets in the centre around Avenue Kennedy and the Mfoundi market, and districts like Melen and Ekounou, flood and traffic stalls. Source ↗

• Festival

  Ecrans Noirs film festival

  15 Sep – 31 Oct · usually

  Central Africa's main African cinema festival, founded in 1997, screens films for a week at the Palais des Congres, the National Museum and the Institut Francais. Once a July event, recent editions fell in late September or October. Source ↗

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: Flash-flood season (1 Sep – 31 Oct (usually)), Ecrans Noirs film festival (15 Sep – 31 Oct (usually))

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

• Festival

  Festi-Bikutsi

  5–30 Nov · usuallyMusic festival

  A week of concerts and competitions dedicated to bikutsi, the dance music of the Centre region, running since the 1990s; recent editions have been at the LADA arts camp in Yaounde. Source ↗

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The dry months

  1 Dec – 5 Mar · usuallyDry season

  The long dry season on the plateau: dusty rather than hot, hazy in the mornings, and the only stretch when the red-earth roads out of the city are firm enough to be predictable. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  20 Dec – 2 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  The city empties towards the villages for a fortnight and the roads west and south are solid with it. Coaches sell out days ahead, fares climb, and half the restaurants in town simply close. Source ↗