What's on in Zanzibar (Stone Town), Tanzania through the year

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, December–January long break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Kaskazi, the calm season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Ramadan

• Festival

  Sauti za Busara

  5–8 FebMajor festivalBook early

  Four days of live African music in the old fort at Stone Town in early February, the island's best-known cultural event and the one week the town fills. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  17 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Zanzibar is overwhelmingly Muslim and observes it seriously: Stone Town restaurants close during daylight, hours change, and eating in the street is not done. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidClosures

  Four days of celebration at the end of Ramadan, with the beaches at Nungwi and Stone Town's waterfront full of families. Transport and hotels are booked locally. Source ↗

Still on: Kaskazi, the calm season (1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Ramadan

• Season

  Masika, the long rains

  20 Mar – 31 May · usuallyMonsoonClosures

  The wettest stretch of the year, and the one when much of the east coast simply closes: hotels shut, dive centres stop, and what stays open is at its cheapest.

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar)

Busy — April short break in Tanzania, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Masika, the long rains (20 Mar – 31 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Masika, the long rains (20 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Mid-year break in Tanzania

• Season

  Kusi, the cool monsoon

  1 Jun – 30 Sep · usually

  The southern monsoon is dry and breezy with clear water, which makes the middle of the year the island's best conditions and its reliable kitesurfing wind.

• Festival

  Zanzibar International Film Festival

  24–28 Jun

  East Africa's largest film festival takes over the old fort and venues across Stone Town for a week in late June, with screenings outdoors after dark. Source ↗

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Mid-year break in Tanzania

• Festival

  Mwaka Kogwa

  15–31 Jul · usuallyMajor festival

  The Shirazi new year at Makunduchi in the south: a ritual mock fight with banana stems, a burning hut, and four days of feeding anyone who turns up. Source ↗

Still on: Kusi, the cool monsoon (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), Zanzibar International Film Festival (24–28 Jun)

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Kusi, the cool monsoon (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, September short break in Tanzania

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Kusi, the cool monsoon (1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Vuli, the short rains

  1 Nov – 15 Dec · usuallyMonsoon

  Scattered heavy showers rather than settled rain, empty beaches and the lowest prices of the year outside the long rains.

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, December–January long break in Tanzania

• Season

  Kaskazi, the calm season

  1 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyMonsoon

  The northeast monsoon brings hot, still, humid weather and the flattest water of the year: the best diving visibility and the least wind for the dhows.

Still on: Vuli, the short rains (1 Nov – 15 Dec (usually))