What's on in Yazd, Iran through the year

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  19 Feb – 20 MarClosures

  Restaurants close through the day and the old town is silent until sunset, when the alleys and the rooftop terraces fill. Hotels feed guests indoors on request. Source ↗

• Festival

  Sadeh fire festival

  28 Jan – 2 FebLights & fire

  The Zoroastrian midwinter fire festival, lit at dusk outside the city at the end of January. Small, old and open to anyone who turns up, and cold enough to want to stand close. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar), Sadeh fire festival (28 Jan – 2 Feb)

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Nowruz

• Holiday

  Nowruz

  18 Mar – 5 Apr · usuallyNational holidayCrowdedClosuresBook early

  The new year fortnight brings Iranian families to the old town in numbers and fills every restored caravanserai hotel. Book months ahead or come a week either side. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Nowruz

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Nowruz (18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Peak crowds — Muharram and the nakhl, Chak Chak pilgrimage

• Season

  Desert summer

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The old town was built for this, with wind towers and shaded alleys, and it still only works before ten and after six. Rooftops in the evening are the point of a summer visit.

• Holiday

  Muharram and the nakhl

  16–25 JunMuharram & AshuraClosures

  Yazd marks Ashura with the nakhl, a huge wooden bier carried around the square at Amir Chakhmaq. The city closes for the day and the mourning nights run for a week before it. Source ↗

• Festival

  Chak Chak pilgrimage

  14–18 JunPilgrimage seasonCrowded

  Zoroastrians from Iran and abroad gather at the cliff shrine north of the city in the middle of June. The road out is busy for those few days and the site is closed to casual visits. Source ↗

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: Desert summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)), Muharram and the nakhl (16–25 Jun)

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: Desert summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Mehregan (Autumn Festival), school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Pomegranate harvest

  20 Sep – 10 Nov · usually

  The gardens around Yazd and up towards Taft come in through the autumn, and the markets fill with fruit, syrup and the dried herbs that go with it.

• Festival

  Mehregan (Autumn Festival)

  28 Sep – 8 Oct · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  An ancient Zoroastrian thanksgiving festival honouring Mithra, marked with ceremonies at Yazd's fire temples and gatherings among the city's Zoroastrian families, one of Iran's largest such communities. Source ↗

Still on: Desert summer (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Busy — Mehregan (Autumn Festival), school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Pomegranate harvest (20 Sep – 10 Nov (usually)), Mehregan (Autumn Festival) (28 Sep – 8 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Pomegranate harvest (20 Sep – 10 Nov (usually))

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Yalda night

  19–22 DecMajor festival

  Families stay up through the year's longest night reading poetry and eating pomegranates and watermelon at a grandparent's house, a home-based tradition rather than a public spectacle. Source ↗