SeasonMap

National holiday, month by month around the world

The long weekend the whole country travels: full trains, closed offices, the coast and the mountains booked out.

334 destinations on SeasonMap, ranked within each month by the comfort score — because the point is not only where the season is on, but whether the weather is worth the trip while it is.

← All seasons · The world's calendar

When it is on

Number of destinations with national holiday on in that month. Windows move a little each year.

National holiday in January

  1. 🇺🇾 Montevideo, UruguayNew Year on the rambla · 31 Dec – 1 JanCiudad Vieja offices shower the street with old paperwork before noon on 31 December, then the city eats at home and reappears on Pocitos beach around midnight.83climate
  2. 🇮🇳 Kodaikanal, IndiaPongal · 14–17 JanTamil Nadu's harvest holiday runs four days and the plains empty upwards.83climate
  3. 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaThe Monday puentes · 1 Jan – 31 DecColombia moves most of its public holidays onto a Monday, so the country takes a long weekend roughly every month.82climate
  4. 🇮🇳 Delhi, IndiaRepublic Day parade · 20–26 Jan (usually)Kartavya Path and much of central Delhi close for the rehearsals as well as the parade itself on 26 January, and security is heavy across the city for a fortnight.80climate
  5. 🇬🇼 Bissau, Guinea-BissauNational Heroes' Day · 20 Jan20 January marks the assassination of Amilcar Cabral, the independence leader who is still the country's central figure.80climate
  6. 🇩🇴 Punta Cana, Dominican RepublicVirgen de la Altagracia · 20–22 JanThe country's patron day on 21 January, and the basilica at Higuey half an hour inland takes pilgrims through the night.79climate
  7. 🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiIndependence Day and soup joumou · 1–2 JanThe first of January is the anniversary of independence, and every household cooks and gives away the pumpkin soup the enslaved were forbidden.77climate
  8. Adamstown, Pitcairn IslandsBounty Day · 23 JanEvery 23 January the island burns a model of the Bounty in the bay, the way the mutineers burned the real one in 1790.77climate
  9. 🇭🇹 Cap-Haïtien, HaitiIndependence Day and soup joumou · 1–2 JanEvery household cooks and gives away the pumpkin soup the enslaved were forbidden, on the anniversary of the day that ended.76climate
  10. 🇩🇿 Algiers, AlgeriaYennayer · 11–13 JanThe Amazigh new year, a public holiday since 2018.75climate
  11. 🇸🇿 Mbabane, EswatiniIncwala ceremony · 20 Dec – 10 Jan (usually)Eswatini's most sacred ritual, timed by the moon rather than the calendar, runs from the Little Incwala shortly before Christmas to the King's first-fruits ceremony in early January, a gazetted public holiday.75climate
  12. 🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesNew Year's Eve firecrackers · 31 Dec – 1 JanMidnight is deafening and the smoke over the city takes most of the next morning to thin out.73climate
  13. 🇧🇯 Cotonou, BeninVodun Day · 8–11 Jan (usually)10 January is a public holiday for traditional religions, and the state-run Vodun Days programme in Ouidah, an hour west, has grown around it.70climate
  14. 🇹🇬 Lomé, TogoLiberation Day · 13 Jan13 January is a public holiday and a politically loaded one; offices and banks close.69climate
  15. 🇳🇷 Yaren, NauruIndependence Day · 31 Jan – 1 Feb31 January marks independence in 1968 and is the biggest day on the island: sport, feasting and a public holiday that shuts the government district at Yaren.64climate
  16. 🇺🇸 Atlanta, United StatesKing Day · 15–20 Jan (usually)Atlanta marks the King holiday where he was born, on Auburn Avenue, with a march and a week of events around Ebenezer Baptist.62climate
  17. 🇲🇺 Le Morne, MauritiusAbolition of Slavery Day · 29 Jan – 2 Feb (usually)February 1 marks the 1835 abolition of slavery, and the national ceremony is held at the International Slave Route Monument on the Le Morne peninsula, opened for the purpose in 2009.62climate
  18. 🇬🇪 Kutaisi, GeorgiaNew Year and Georgian Christmas · 31 Dec – 7 JanGeorgia takes the whole first week of January off and Christmas falls on the seventh.58climate
  19. 🇦🇲 Dilijan, ArmeniaArmenian New Year and Christmas · 31 Dec – 6 JanArmenia keeps a long holiday from New Year through Christmas on the sixth of January, and Yerevan families take the forest guesthouses for it.46climate
  20. 🇬🇪 Bakuriani, GeorgiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanGeorgia takes the first week of January off and a large part of Tbilisi drives up here for it.34climate
  21. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanThe country stops for the first week of January.28climate
  22. 🇷🇺 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RussiaRussian New Year holidays · 1–8 JanThe country stops for the first eight days of January: offices and agencies shut, tour desks run skeleton hours, and the flights in from Moscow are booked out either side of it.28climate
  23. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanRussia takes the first week of January off entirely: offices and many small places shut, the trains and flights are full, and the ice town and rink on Minin Square are where the city actually is.27climate
  24. 🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanThe country takes the first week of January off, and here it is spent at the ice town built on the square by the dam — carved slides, a snow maze and a queue for hot food.26climate

What's on around the world in January →

National holiday in February

  1. 🇰🇼 Kuwait City, KuwaitNational and Liberation Days · 23–27 FebThe 25th and 26th of February shut the country and turn the Gulf Road into a rolling water fight — foam, hoses and traffic at walking pace for two days.91climate
  2. 🇳🇿 Paihia, New ZealandWaitangi Day · 3–7 FebThe national day is commemorated at the treaty grounds up the road, with the dawn service, waka on the water and a few days of politics and speeches.87climate
  3. 🇸🇦 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaFounding Day · 22 FebA public holiday on 22 February, newer than National Day and dressed in period costume rather than green.85climate
  4. 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, United StatesSuper Bowl weekend · 5–12 Feb (usually)The sportsbooks are standing room from Thursday and the city runs near full whether or not the game is played here.81climate
  5. 🇱🇨 Castries, Saint LuciaIndependence Day · 22 FebFlag raising and school parades on 22 February, with a week of concerts and church services around it.78climate
  6. 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaThe Monday puentes · 1 Jan – 31 DecColombia moves most of its public holidays onto a Monday, so the country takes a long weekend roughly every month.75climate
  7. 🇬🇩 St. George's, GrenadaIndependence Day · 7 FebThe seventh of February is a public holiday with a parade at Queen's Park and the whole island in green, gold and red.75climate
  8. 🇨🇲 Yaoundé, CameroonYouth Day · 11 FebEvery 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.75climate
  9. 🇱🇰 Colombo, Sri LankaIndependence Day · 4 FebA military parade and closed roads in the capital on 4 February, and a public holiday across the island.72climate
  10. 🇬🇲 Banjul, GambiaIndependence Day · 18 FebThe 18 February holiday is the one day the small island capital fills up: a stadium parade, schools marching, ministries and banks closed.69climate
  11. 🇳🇷 Yaren, NauruIndependence Day · 31 Jan – 1 Feb31 January marks independence in 1968 and is the biggest day on the island: sport, feasting and a public holiday that shuts the government district at Yaren.68climate
  12. 🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan, BruneiNational Day · 23 FebA mass parade on the padang in the middle of town, rehearsed on the same ground for weeks beforehand.64climate
  13. Pristina, KosovoIndependence Day · 16–18 Feb17 February closes offices and banks and fills Mother Teresa Boulevard with flags and a concert.64climate
  14. 🇲🇺 Le Morne, MauritiusAbolition of Slavery Day · 29 Jan – 2 Feb (usually)February 1 marks the 1835 abolition of slavery, and the national ceremony is held at the International Slave Route Monument on the Le Morne peninsula, opened for the purpose in 2009.64climate
  15. 🇲🇿 Maputo, MozambiqueMozambican Heroes' Day · 3 FebThe 3 February holiday centres on the Heroes' Square monument on the airport road.63climate
  16. San Marino, San MarinoFeast of Saint Agatha · 5 FebThe republic's second patron and the anniversary of its recovery of independence in 1740, marked on 5 February with a procession to the basilica and a day off.62climate
  17. 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Shining Star · 16 FebKim Jong Il's birthday, and one of the two dates the city is dressed for.50climate
  18. 🇪🇪 Tallinn, EstoniaIndependence Day · 24 FebA military parade and flag-raising at dawn on 24 February in the coldest week of the year, and shops and museums shut for the day.39climate

What's on around the world in February →

National holiday in March

  1. 🇮🇷 Yazd, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)The new year fortnight brings Iranian families to the old town in numbers and fills every restored caravanserai hotel.96climate
  2. 🇵🇰 Islamabad, PakistanPakistan Day · 23 MarA national holiday, and in the years the parade is staged it closes the avenues near Shakarparian and puts the airspace under restriction for the morning.88climate
  3. 🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceIndependence Day parade · 25 MarA military parade closes Vasilissis Sofias and the streets around Syntagma for the morning of 25 March.85climate
  4. 🇮🇷 Qeshm, IranNowruz · 19 Mar – 3 Apr (usually)Iran stops for two weeks from the equinox and a good part of it comes to Qeshm for the duty-free shops and the beaches.85climate
  5. 🇮🇷 Isfahan, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)Iranians travel and Isfahan is where a large share of them go: the square, the bridges and the Armenian quarter are packed, hotels are booked out and some offices and museums close.83climate
  6. 🇮🇷 Kish Island, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)Kish is where mainland Iran flies for the new-year fortnight, and flights and hotels are booked out weeks ahead at several times the usual rate.83climate
  7. 🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanNavruz · 21–22 MarThe equinox new year is the biggest holiday of the year: sumalak stirred overnight in copper pots, music around the Lyabi-Hauz pool, and two days when government offices and banks are shut.82climate
  8. 🇳🇦 Windhoek, NamibiaIndependence Day · 21 MarThe 21 March holiday marks 1990 and fills the Independence Stadium and the memorial museum.81climate
  9. 🇮🇷 Shiraz, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)Shiraz is one of the two places Iranians go for the new year, and Hafez's tomb, the gardens and Persepolis are all at their fullest.81climate
  10. 🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanNowruz · 21–22 MarTwo public days for the spring new year, with a state programme of concerts and yurts set up on the edge of the city.81climate
  11. 🇮🇷 Tehran, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)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.81climate
  12. 🇺🇿 Khiva, UzbekistanNavruz · 21–22 MarThe spring new year lands just as the cold lets go, and the walled town holds its version inside the Ichon-Qala with sumalak, music and wrestling.81climate
  13. Norfolk Island, Norfolk IslandFoundation Day · 6 Mar6 March marks the first landing of the penal settlement in 1788, six weeks after Sydney.81climate
  14. 🇹🇯 Khujand, TajikistanNavruz · 21–24 MarFour days off for the spring new year and the Ferghana end of the country takes it seriously: sumalak stirred overnight, wrestling and horse games, and the Panjshanbe bazaar at its fullest of the year beforehand.80climate
  15. 🇦🇱 Tirana, AlbaniaDita e Verës · 13–15 MarSummer Day on 14 March is a pagan spring holiday kept as a national one: ballokume biscuits, families outdoors and offices shut.78climate
  16. 🇺🇿 Andijan, UzbekistanNavruz · 21–22 MarThe spring new year is the biggest day in the Fergana Valley calendar: sumalak stirred overnight in the mahallas, wrestling and horse games on the edge of town, and offices shut for two days.78climate
  17. 🇱🇸 Butha-Buthe, LesothoMoshoeshoe's Day · 11 Mar11 March, for the king who founded the country from these northern mountains.77climate
  18. 🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanNavruz · 21–22 MarThe spring new year is the year's real holiday: sumalak stirred overnight in the mahalla courtyards, concerts on the squares, and two days when nothing official is open.77climate
  19. 🇮🇶 Erbil, IraqNewroz · 20–23 MarFires are lit on the hills the evening before and the holiday empties Erbil towards the mountain towns.77climate
  20. 🇦🇿 Baku, AzerbaijanNovruz · 17–26 MarFive public holidays for the spring new year, with bonfires jumped in the courtyards of the old city on the four Tuesdays before.76climate
  21. 🇹🇷 Mardin, TurkeyNewroz · 20–21 MarThe Kurdish new year is the biggest gathering of the year in the southeast: bonfires jumped at dusk, music on the fairground below the old city, and a heavy police presence around it.76climate
  22. Little Bay, MontserratSt Patrick's Festival · 5–17 MarA fortnight of concerts, parades and food fairs ending on 17 March, which here marks a slave uprising planned for the day in 1768 rather than anything Irish.76climate
  23. 🇺🇿 Samarkand, UzbekistanNavruz · 21–22 MarThe spring new year is the year's real holiday: sumalak stirred overnight in the mahallas, concerts on the squares, and two days when nothing official opens.74climate
  24. 🇹🇯 Panjakent, TajikistanNavruz & the red-flower walk · 20–23 Mar (usually)Panjakent marks the Persian new year with Idi Guli Surkh, the 'red flower festival': children and adults climb into the hills to gather the season's first snowdrops, irises and tulips and carry them house to house singing.74climate
  25. 🇹🇯 Dushanbe, TajikistanNavruz · 21–24 MarFour days off for the spring new year, and the state does it at scale: mass displays in the Navruzgoh hall, sumalak cooked in the courtyards, and buzkashi matches on the edge of the city.73climate

…and 22 more in March.

What's on around the world in March →

National holiday in April

  1. 🇮🇷 Isfahan, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)Iranians travel and Isfahan is where a large share of them go: the square, the bridges and the Armenian quarter are packed, hotels are booked out and some offices and museums close.93climate
  2. 🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanTurkmen horse day · 24–30 Apr (usually)The last Sunday in April belongs to the Akhal-Teke: racing at the hippodrome, a beauty contest for the horses and a mounted stunt team.93climate
  3. 🇮🇷 Tehran, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)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.93climate
  4. 🇮🇷 Shiraz, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)Shiraz is one of the two places Iranians go for the new year, and Hafez's tomb, the gardens and Persepolis are all at their fullest.91climate
  5. 🇿🇼 Harare, ZimbabweIndependence Day · 18 AprThe 18 April holiday fills the National Sports Stadium for a state ceremony and closes everything official for the day.91climate
  6. 🇮🇷 Yazd, IranNowruz · 18 Mar – 5 Apr (usually)The new year fortnight brings Iranian families to the old town in numbers and fills every restored caravanserai hotel.90climate
  7. 🇸🇳 Dakar, SenegalIndependence Day · 4 AprThe 4 April military parade closes the corniche and the centre for the morning.88climate
  8. 🇧🇷 Ouro Preto, BrazilTiradentes day · 19–22 AprThe national holiday on 21 April commemorates the conspirator hanged for a plot hatched in these streets, and the town it belongs to is where Minas comes to mark it.87climate
  9. 🇦🇺 Canberra, AustraliaAnzac Day dawn service · 25 AprTens of thousands stand in the dark at the War Memorial before the march on 25 April.86climate
  10. 🇹🇷 Ankara, TurkeyNational Sovereignty Day · 22–24 AprThe 23rd of April marks the first sitting of the Grand National Assembly here in 1920, and the main ceremony is at Anıtkabir.85climate
  11. 🇪🇬 Nuweiba, EgyptSham el-Nessim · 1 Apr – 15 May (usually)Egypt's spring picnic day, the Monday after Coptic Easter: whole families come out to eat salted fish and coloured eggs anywhere there is a view.85climate
  12. 🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Sun · 15 AprKim Il Sung's birthday is the largest set piece of the year and the busiest date on the tour calendar.84climate
  13. 🇮🇹 Sirmione, ItalyBank-holiday crush · 20 Apr – 5 Jun (usually)On the Italian long weekends at the end of April and start of June a town of eight thousand takes tens of thousands of day visitors, and the queue for the castle drawbridge has run to forty minutes.84climate
  14. 🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaQingming tomb-sweeping break · 3–7 AprA three-day national break in the first week of April: the cemeteries on the edge of the city are packed, the high-speed trains sell out and the gardens take a domestic crowd.83climate
  15. 🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandAnzac Day · 25 AprDawn services at the museum and every suburban cenotaph, and a trading restriction that keeps most shops, cafes and attractions shut until one in the afternoon.83climate
  16. 🇸🇳 Saint-Louis, SenegalIndependence Day · 4 AprSenegal's 4 April holiday closes offices and banks.81climate
  17. 🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyMay Day in Kreuzberg · 30 Apr – 1 MayWalpurgis night runs into a public holiday of street parties and demonstrations around Oranienstrasse and Görlitzer Park.79climate
  18. 🇪🇨 Cuenca, EcuadorFundación de Cuenca · 10–14 AprThe city keeps its 1557 founding on 12 April with a craft fair, street stages and a long weekend for the province.78climate
  19. 🇳🇱 Utrecht, NetherlandsKing's Day · 26–27 AprThe evening before is the party and the day itself is a city-wide flea market run by children on the pavements.77climate
  20. 🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKing's Day · 27 AprThe king's birthday turns the whole city into a street market and a boat party, and the centre closes to traffic.76climate
  21. 🇳🇱 The Hague, NetherlandsKing's Day · 26–27 AprThe city the King actually lives in makes a day of it: stages across the centre, a street market from dawn and everything else shut.76climate
  22. 🇰🇿 Almaty, KazakhstanThe May holidays · 30 Apr – 10 MayThree public holidays land inside ten days — Unity Day on the 1st, Defender's Day on the 7th, Victory Day on the 9th.75climate
  23. 🇷🇼 Kigali, RwandaKwibuka · 7–13 AprThe national mourning period for the 1994 genocide opens on 7 April and the first week is observed strictly: public music stops, bars close early, and sport and entertainment are suspended.75climate
  24. 🇸🇽 Philipsburg, Sint MaartenKing's Day · 26–27 AprThe Dutch side takes 27 April off for the king's birthday, orange included, and it usually lands inside the carnival weeks.75climate
  25. 🇸🇪 Malmö, SwedenValborg and May Day · 30 Apr – 1 MayBonfires and choirs on the evening of 30 April to see the winter off, then a public holiday on the first.75climate

…and 26 more in April.

What's on around the world in April →

National holiday in May

  1. 🇪🇷 Asmara, EritreaIndependence Day · 22–26 MayThe 24th is the biggest date in the Eritrean calendar and the capital is where it is staged: carnival floats, street stages and a week of nightly crowds on the avenue.93climate
  2. 🇯🇴 Madaba, JordanIndependence Day · 25–26 May25 May closes offices and sends Jordanians towards the Dead Sea on the road that runs through here.91climate
  3. 🇧🇴 Sucre, BoliviaRevolucion de Chuquisaca · 24–26 MayThe 25th of May marks the 1809 uprising that started the whole continental business, and the city that did it makes a day of it: parades round the plaza and everything official closed.89climate
  4. 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaLabour Day holiday · 1–5 MayThe year's second mass-travel week after Spring Festival: domestic tourists fill the Wall, the Forbidden City sells out its cap for days, and train tickets go the hour they release.88climate
  5. Jamestown, Saint HelenaSaint Helena Day · 21 MayThe island's own public holiday marks its discovery on St Helena's feast day, and the whole population turns out in Jamestown for it.88climate
  6. 🇮🇹 Sirmione, ItalyBank-holiday crush · 20 Apr – 5 Jun (usually)On the Italian long weekends at the end of April and start of June a town of eight thousand takes tens of thousands of day visitors, and the queue for the castle drawbridge has run to forty minutes.87climate
  7. 🇩🇪 Berlin, GermanyMay Day in Kreuzberg · 30 Apr – 1 MayWalpurgis night runs into a public holiday of street parties and demonstrations around Oranienstrasse and Görlitzer Park.86climate
  8. 🇰🇿 Almaty, KazakhstanThe May holidays · 30 Apr – 10 MayThree public holidays land inside ten days — Unity Day on the 1st, Defender's Day on the 7th, Victory Day on the 9th.86climate
  9. 🇲🇽 Puebla, MexicoCinco de Mayo · 1–6 MayThe date is a minor holiday in most of Mexico and a serious one here, because the battle it marks was fought on this hill.85climate
  10. 🇸🇪 Malmö, SwedenValborg and May Day · 30 Apr – 1 MayBonfires and choirs on the evening of 30 April to see the winter off, then a public holiday on the first.85climate
  11. Saint Helier, JerseyLiberation Day · 9 MayThe island's own national day on 9 May, marking the end of the German occupation: parades and a service in Liberation Square, and most of St Helier shut for it.85climate
  12. 🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsRemembrance and Liberation Day · 4–5 MayTwo minutes of national silence at eight on the evening of the 4th, trams and all, then free festivals across the city on the 5th.84climate
  13. 🇳🇱 Utrecht, NetherlandsLiberation Day festival · 5 MayUtrecht runs one of the fourteen national liberation festivals on 5 May, free and all day across the parks and the centre.84climate
  14. 🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayConstitution Day, 17 May · 17 MayThe whole city walks in national dress, children's parades fill Karl Johans gate from breakfast, and nothing else happens all day.83climate
  15. 🇧🇲 Hamilton, BermudaBermuda Day · 22–27 May (usually)A parade through Hamilton with majorettes and Gombey troupes, a half marathon derby in the morning, and by island convention the first day anyone gets in the sea.83climate
  16. Saint Peter Port, GuernseyLiberation Day · 9 MayGuernsey's own holiday on 9 May: a cavalcade along the seafront, period dress, and the whole island out on the harbour front.83climate
  17. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaVictory Day · 8–10 May9 May is the biggest civic day of the Russian year: a parade, closed central streets, and fireworks off the Strelka where the two rivers meet.82climate
  18. 🇺🇸 Honolulu, United StatesLantern Floating Hawaii · 24–31 May (usually)Memorial Day evening at Ala Moana Beach Park: several thousand lanterns go out on the water at sunset and about fifty thousand people watch from the sand.81climate
  19. 🇳🇴 Bergen, NorwayConstitution Day · 17 MayChildren's parades from the centre out along the harbour, everyone in bunad by eight in the morning, and nothing open.81climate
  20. 🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg, RussiaVictory Day · 9 MayA parade on Palace Square, the centre closed to traffic from early morning, and fireworks over the Neva at night.81climate
  21. 🇷🇺 Kaliningrad, RussiaVictory Day · 9 MayThe largest public day of the year here, with a parade, closed streets in the centre and fireworks over the Pregolya.81climate
  22. 🇩🇪 Munich, GermanyMay Day and the maypoles · 1 MayA national holiday, so shops are shut and transport runs a Sunday timetable.80climate
  23. 🇳🇴 Ålesund, NorwayConstitution Day · 17 MayChildren's parades through the Art Nouveau streets, everyone in bunad, and the shops and museums shut for the day.79climate
  24. 🇪🇬 Nuweiba, EgyptSham el-Nessim · 1 Apr – 15 May (usually)Egypt's spring picnic day, the Monday after Coptic Easter: whole families come out to eat salted fish and coloured eggs anywhere there is a view.77climate
  25. The Valley, AnguillaAnguilla Day and boat race · 30 MayThe thirtieth of May marks the start of the 1967 revolution and is the biggest day on the boat-racing calendar: hand-built wooden sloops start a round-the-island race from Sandy Ground at nine in the morning.72climate

…and 13 more in May.

What's on around the world in May →

National holiday in June

  1. 🇰🇪 Nairobi, KenyaMadaraka Day · 1 JunThe 1st of June, marking self-rule, with the national ceremony rotating between county stadiums.93climate
  2. 🇸🇪 Gothenburg, SwedenMidsummer · 19–26 Jun (usually)The Friday nearest 24 June shuts the country.92climate
  3. 🇲🇿 Maputo, MozambiqueIndependence Day · 25 JunThe 25 June holiday closes everything official and fills the Praca da Independencia.91climate
  4. 🇸🇪 Malmö, SwedenMidsummer · 19–26 Jun (usually)The Friday nearest 24 June closes shops, restaurants and museums, and the city leaves for the countryside and the coast.91climate
  5. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaRussia Day · 12 JunA public holiday on 12 June with concerts in the centre and a fireworks finish, and the start of the summer pattern where the city empties towards the dachas for any long weekend.90climate
  6. 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, LuxembourgNational Day · 22–23 JunThe eve of 23 June is the event: a torchlit parade through the upper town and fireworks off the Pont Adolphe over the gorge.90climate
  7. 🇲🇬 Antananarivo, MadagascarIndependence Day · 24–27 Jun (usually)The 26th is the national day and the city stops for it: children's lantern processions the night before, a parade in the morning, and everything official shut either side.90climate
  8. 🇺🇸 Milwaukee, United StatesJuneteenth Day · 19 JunThe country's oldest continuous Juneteenth celebration, going back to 1971.88climate
  9. Mariehamn, Åland IslandsAland Autonomy Day · 9 JunThe islands' own public holiday on 9 June, marked with a ceremony at the parliament in Mariehamn.88climate
  10. 🇺🇬 Kampala, UgandaUganda Martyrs Day · 1–4 JunPilgrims walk to the Namugongo shrines on the city's north-east edge for 3 June, some of them for weeks and from as far as Kenya and Tanzania.85climate
  11. 🇧🇮 Bujumbura, BurundiIndependence Day · 30 Jun – 2 Jul1 July, independence from Belgium.82climate
  12. 🇮🇹 Sirmione, ItalyBank-holiday crush · 20 Apr – 5 Jun (usually)On the Italian long weekends at the end of April and start of June a town of eight thousand takes tens of thousands of day visitors, and the queue for the castle drawbridge has run to forty minutes.82climate
  13. 🇼🇸 Savai'i, SamoaIndependence Day · 1–3 JunSamoa marks 1 June with several days of parades, sport and church services.82climate
  14. 🇦🇷 Rosario, ArgentinaDia de la Bandera · 18–21 JunThe flag was first raised here, so 20 June is Rosario's day rather than the country's: the president comes, the forces parade at the monument on the river, and the city centre closes to traffic.81climate
  15. 🇲🇬 Antsiranana, MadagascarIndependence Day · 25–27 JunThe 26th is the national day and the town marks it for the best part of a week, with lantern processions the night before and everything official shut on the day itself.81climate
  16. 🇺🇸 Honolulu, United StatesKing Kamehameha Day · 8–14 Jun (usually)A state holiday on 11 June.80climate
  17. 🇧🇴 Samaipata, BoliviaAndean New Year at El Fuerte · 20–22 JunThe winter solstice is a public holiday in Bolivia, and Samaipata marks it with a dawn gathering on the pre-Inca rock terrace above the town, waiting for the first light to reach the carvings.80climate
  18. Norfolk Island, Norfolk IslandBounty Day · 8 JunThe island's own day, marking the arrival of the Pitcairn families in 1856: nineteenth-century dress, a march from the pier to the cemetery and a shared meal on the grass at Kingston.80climate
  19. 🇨🇩 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoIndependence Day · 28 Jun – 2 Jul (usually)The 30th is the national day: a parade, the Boulevard du 30 Juin closed to traffic, and hotels full from a couple of days beforehand.78climate
  20. 🇬🇱 Ilulissat, GreenlandGreenland's National Day · 21 JunThe 21st of June, the longest day, is the national holiday: flags, national dress, coffee tables laid out in the community hall.77climate
  21. 🇬🇱 Nuuk, GreenlandGreenland's National Day · 21 JunUllortuneq falls on the solstice, with flag raising, national dress and kaffemik open houses across town.73climate
  22. 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaThe Monday puentes · 1 Jan – 31 DecColombia moves most of its public holidays onto a Monday, so the country takes a long weekend roughly every month.72climate
  23. 🇸🇨 Victoria, SeychellesIndependence Day · 18–29 JunConstitution Day on 18 June and independence on 29 June bracket a fortnight of parades and shows in Victoria.68climate
  24. 🇼🇸 Apia, SamoaIndependence Day · 30 May – 3 JunSamoa marks its independence, gained in 1962, with parades, church services and inter-village sport over several days around 1 June.65climate
  25. Stanley, Falkland IslandsLiberation Day · 14 JunA thanksgiving service at the cathedral, wreaths at the Liberation Monument and a parade on 14 June, the day the 1982 occupation ended.50climate

…and 2 more in June.

What's on around the world in June →

National holiday in July

  1. 🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumBelgian National Day · 20–21 JulThe military parade and the fair in the Parc de Bruxelles on 21 July, with the palace and several ministries open to anyone who queues.94climate
  2. 🇵🇪 Lima, PeruFiestas Patrias · 28–29 JulTwo days of independence holidays with the military parade on Avenida Brasil.93climate
  3. 🇷🇼 Kigali, RwandaLiberation Day · 4 JulThe 4 July holiday marks the end of the genocide and closes offices and banks.93climate
  4. 🇲🇼 Lilongwe, MalawiIndependence Day · 6 JulMalawi marks its 1964 independence from Britain on 6 July with a public holiday: offices, banks and most shops close in the capital, and it lands in the cool, dry middle of the tourist season.93climate
  5. 🇵🇪 Arequipa, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays on 28 and 29 July sit inside the school winter break, which fills the buses to Colca and Puno and the hotels in the centre.92climate
  6. 🇵🇪 Trujillo, PeruFiestas Patrias · 27–30 JulPeru takes two days at the end of July and turns them into a week of travel.92climate
  7. 🇵🇪 Paracas, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays put Lima on the Panamericana south and Paracas is one of the closest places to get to.92climate
  8. 🇧🇼 Gaborone, BotswanaPresidents' Day weekend · 14–22 Jul (usually)The third Monday and Tuesday of July make a four-day weekend and the city empties for the cattle post or for Kasane.91climate
  9. 🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland, CanadaMemorial Day and Canada Day · 1 JulIn this province 1 July is Memorial Day before it is Canada Day.90climate
  10. 🇫🇷 Paris, FranceBastille Day · 13–14 JulThe firefighters' balls on the 13th are the better half; the parade and the fireworks at the Trocadero on the 14th mean closed streets and a shut-down centre.89climate
  11. 🇲🇼 Blantyre, MalawiIndependence Day · 5–7 JulThe 6th is Malawi's national day.89climate
  12. 🇬🇧 Belfast, United KingdomThe Eleventh Night and Twelfth · 10–14 JulBonfires on the evening of the 11th and Orange Order parades on the 12th, with a festival zone at the City Hall.89climate
  13. 🇲🇦 El Jadida, MoroccoThrone Day · 30–31 JulThrone Day on 30 July opens a run of Moroccan public holidays that carries through to late August, and each one pushes another wave of inland families onto this coast.88climate
  14. 🇲🇦 Rabat, MoroccoThrone Day · 29–31 JulThe 30th of July is the state's own day and Rabat is where it is staged: official ceremonies, closed ministries and a long weekend on top of the domestic holiday season.88climate
  15. Douglas, Isle of ManTynwald Day · 5 JulThe island's national day, held out at St John's rather than in Douglas: the year's laws read aloud in Manx and English on an open-air mound, then a fair.88climate
  16. 🇳🇨 Nouméa, New Caledonia14 July · 14 JulThe French national day is a public holiday here, with a military parade and fireworks over the Baie des Citrons.87climate
  17. 🇦🇺 Darwin, AustraliaTerritory Day · 1 Jul1 July marks self-government in 1978, and it is the one night of the year the public can legally set off their own fireworks.87climate
  18. 🇰🇿 Astana, KazakhstanAstana Day · 4–8 JulThe city's own holiday on 6 July, staged by the state: concerts, fireworks, closed central roads and hotel rates to match.87climate
  19. 🇧🇾 Minsk, BelarusIndependence Day parade · 2–4 JulBelarus marks 3 July, the day Minsk was retaken in 1944, with a full military parade down Independence Avenue and fireworks after dark.86climate
  20. 🇧🇮 Bujumbura, BurundiIndependence Day · 30 Jun – 2 Jul1 July, independence from Belgium.86climate
  21. 🇵🇪 Ollantaytambo, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays on 28 and 29 July land inside the school winter break and the valley fills with Peruvian families.86climate
  22. 🇵🇪 Aguas Calientes, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugPeru's national holidays on 28 and 29 July fall inside the school winter break, and domestic demand for trains, beds and entry tickets peaks for that week.86climate
  23. 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesFourth of July · 4 JulOfficial shows at the Hollywood Bowl, and unofficial fireworks across the whole basin for most of the night.84climate
  24. 🇲🇦 Tangier, MoroccoThrone Day · 29–31 JulThe 30th of July closes offices and banks and adds a long weekend to the busiest fortnight of the Tangier year.84climate
  25. 🇵🇪 Cusco, PeruFiestas Patrias · 25 Jul – 2 AugPeru's national holidays fall inside the driest, busiest weeks and put domestic travellers on top of the foreign ones.83climate

…and 45 more in July.

What's on around the world in July →

National holiday in August

  1. 🇵🇪 Lima, PeruSanta Rosa de Lima · 30 AugA national holiday on 30 August, with a queue down the block at the sanctuary near Congress to drop a letter into the saint's well.94climate
  2. 🇿🇼 Harare, ZimbabweHeroes' and Defence Forces days · 8–14 Aug (usually)A two-day public holiday in the second week of August.94climate
  3. 🇵🇪 Arequipa, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays on 28 and 29 July sit inside the school winter break, which fills the buses to Colca and Puno and the hotels in the centre.94climate
  4. 🇷🇺 Kazan, RussiaRepublic and City Day · 29–31 AugTatarstan's republic day and Kazan's city day both land on 30 August, so the embankments and the Kremlin get concerts and fireworks and everything official is shut.92climate
  5. 🇵🇪 Paracas, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays put Lima on the Panamericana south and Paracas is one of the closest places to get to.92climate
  6. 🇳🇦 Windhoek, NamibiaHeroes' Day · 26 AugThe 26 August holiday commemorates the start of the liberation war and is marked with a national ceremony that rotates between regions.91climate
  7. 🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineIndependence Day · 24 AugThe national day on 24 August.90climate
  8. 🇧🇴 Sucre, BoliviaBolivian independence day · 5–7 AugIndependence was declared in the Casa de la Libertad on this square in 1825, so the 6th of August is Sucre's date as much as the country's.89climate
  9. 🇰🇬 Osh, KyrgyzstanIndependence Day · 31 AugThe last day of August is a national holiday with concerts and displays on the central square, and it comes as the mountain season is closing.89climate
  10. 🇦🇷 San Salvador de Jujuy, ArgentinaÉxodo Jujeño · 22–23 AugThe province marks Belgrano's 1812 evacuation with an evocative march on the 22nd and a parade of some seventy-five gaucho centres on the 23rd.88climate
  11. 🇰🇬 Bishkek, KyrgyzstanIndependence Day · 31 AugA parade on Ala-Too Square and a day off in the middle of the walking season, so the marshrutkas to the mountains and the guesthouses on Issyk-Kul go with it.85climate
  12. 🇵🇪 Cusco, PeruFiestas Patrias · 25 Jul – 2 AugPeru's national holidays fall inside the driest, busiest weeks and put domestic travellers on top of the foreign ones.84climate
  13. 🇲🇩 Chișinău, MoldovaIndependence and Limba Noastră · 26 Aug – 1 SepIndependence Day on 27 August and the language holiday on the 31st run back to back, with a fair and concerts on the Great National Assembly Square and government buildings shut through the middle.84climate
  14. 🇵🇪 Ollantaytambo, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugThe national holidays on 28 and 29 July land inside the school winter break and the valley fills with Peruvian families.83climate
  15. 🇧🇬 Varna, BulgariaVarna City Day · 14–16 Aug15 August, the Assumption, is the city's holiday and it lands in the fullest week of the season: concerts on the sea front, a fireworks display over the bay, and nowhere to park anywhere near it.83climate
  16. 🇵🇪 Aguas Calientes, PeruFiestas Patrias · 26 Jul – 1 AugPeru's national holidays on 28 and 29 July fall inside the school winter break, and domestic demand for trains, beds and entry tickets peaks for that week.83climate
  17. 🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaNane Nane farmers' day · 8 AugThe 8 August farmers' holiday closes offices and banks nationwide.80climate
  18. 🇨🇬 Brazzaville, CongoNational Day · 15 AugIndependence from France, 15 August 1960, and the biggest civic date of the year.80climate
  19. 🇮🇩 Yogyakarta, IndonesiaIndependence Day · 17 AugKampung games, flag ceremonies and street parades through the old city, with the kraton and the main roads closed for the day.79climate
  20. Vaduz, LiechtensteinNational Day · 15 AugOn 15 August the whole country is invited up to the castle gardens for a drink with the prince, then a folk festival and fireworks in the town below.79climate
  21. 🇬🇷 Santorini, GreeceAssumption on 15 August · 12–18 AugThe peak week of the Greek year: domestic flights and ferries full, every caldera room at its top rate, and village panigiria after the church service.78climate
  22. 🇰🇬 Cholpon-Ata, KyrgyzstanIndependence Day · 31 AugThe last day of August is a national holiday and it lands on the closing weekend of the lake season, so the road back to Bishkek is a long queue that evening.78climate
  23. 🇹🇷 Istanbul, TurkeyVictory Day · 30 AugA public holiday on 30 August, with a parade and the bridges lit.77climate
  24. 🇮🇩 Surabaya, IndonesiaIndependence Day · 17 AugFlag ceremonies and street games across the kampungs, and the panjat pinang greasy-pole climbs that this city takes more seriously than most.77climate
  25. 🇮🇩 Denpasar, IndonesiaIndonesian Independence Day · 14–18 AugFlags on every gate, village games in the streets and a flag ceremony that shuts offices and schools on the 17th.76climate

…and 31 more in August.

What's on around the world in August →

National holiday in September

  1. 🇨🇱 Iquique, ChileFiestas Patrias · 16–21 SepFondas go up behind the beach and the mining camps inland empty into town for two days of public holiday.96climate
  2. 🇧🇬 Sofia, BulgariaSofia Day · 16–18 Sep17 September, the feast of Saints Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sofia, is the city's day: concerts on the yellow cobbles, free museums, and the last outdoor weekend before autumn takes hold.95climate
  3. 🇪🇷 Asmara, EritreaBahti Meskerem · 1 SepRevolution Day, marking the first shot of the independence war.94climate
  4. 🇧🇬 Plovdiv, BulgariaUnification Day and City Day · 5–7 SepThe 1885 unification of Bulgaria was proclaimed here, so 6 September is both the national holiday and Plovdiv's own: a re-enactment outside the old parliament building, concerts, and a long weekend for the whole country.94climate
  5. 🇲🇩 Chișinău, MoldovaIndependence and Limba Noastră · 26 Aug – 1 SepIndependence Day on 27 August and the language holiday on the 31st run back to back, with a fair and concerts on the Great National Assembly Square and government buildings shut through the middle.94climate
  6. 🇨🇱 Antofagasta, ChileFiestas Patrias · 16–21 SepFondas go up in the coastal parks, the mines run skeleton shifts and shops and offices shut for two days.93climate
  7. 🇺🇿 Samarkand, UzbekistanIndependence Day · 1 SepA staged national celebration with concerts and closed central roads, and a public day off across the country.92climate
  8. 🇺🇿 Tashkent, UzbekistanIndependence Day · 1 SepA staged national celebration with concerts and closed central roads, and a public day off across the country.92climate
  9. 🇺🇿 Khiva, UzbekistanIndependence Day · 1 SepThe first of September is a national holiday and it falls in the best fortnight of the year here, so the walled town takes a domestic crowd on top of the coach groups.92climate
  10. 🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama, ChileFiestas Patrias · 16–21 SepChile's national days are a four-day holiday and the desert is one of the places Santiago flies to for them.91climate
  11. 🇳🇨 Nouméa, New CaledoniaNew Caledonia Day · 24 Sep24 September marks the 1853 French annexation, since reframed as a citizenship day, and it is read very differently across the territory.91climate
  12. 🇺🇿 Bukhara, UzbekistanIndependence Day · 1 Sep1 September is a national holiday with evening concerts on the squares.89climate
  13. 🇹🇯 Dushanbe, TajikistanIndependence Day · 9 SepThe ninth of September brings a state parade and staged concerts on the central squares, with roads closed around them and a heavy police presence.88climate
  14. 🇧🇼 Gaborone, BotswanaBotswana Day · 30 Sep – 1 OctTwo days off for independence, with the stadium event and street stalls in the centre.88climate
  15. 🇺🇿 Andijan, UzbekistanIndependence Day · 1 SepThe first of September shuts offices and fills the central square with staged concerts and school parades.87climate
  16. 🇹🇯 Khujand, TajikistanIndependence Day · 9 SepThe ninth of September is a national holiday with staged concerts and school displays on the central square, and offices closed either side of it if it falls near a weekend.87climate
  17. 🇲🇽 Guanajuato, MexicoIndependence days · 13–17 SepThe independence war effectively started here at the Alhóndiga, so the middle of September carries more weight in Guanajuato than almost anywhere: the grito on the night of the 15th, then a full military and student parade.87climate
  18. 🇿🇦 Durban, South AfricaHeritage Day · 24 SepA public holiday that South Africa has quietly turned into a national braai; the beachfront and the parks fill from mid-morning and the shops keep Sunday hours.87climate
  19. Gibraltar, GibraltarGibraltar National Day · 10 SepOn 10 September the whole territory dresses in red and white, thirty thousand balloons go up over Casemates and almost nothing is open.87climate
  20. 🇨🇱 Valparaíso, ChileFiestas Patrias · 16–21 SepFondas go up on the flat ground above the port and Santiago comes over the hill for the long weekend.86climate
  21. 🇹🇲 Ashgabat, TurkmenistanIndependence Day · 27 SepA parade, a public day off and closed central avenues.86climate
  22. 🇧🇷 Brasília, BrazilSete de Setembro · 5–8 SepIndependence Day is staged here rather than anywhere else: a military parade and a flypast down the monumental axis, the road shut around it, and the ministries closed for the long weekend either side.85climate
  23. 🇲🇽 Querétaro, MexicoFiestas Patrias · 14–17 SepThe Grito on the night of the fifteenth fills the Plaza de Armas and the Jardín Zenea, and the sixteenth is a public holiday with a parade and shut offices.84climate
  24. 🇨🇱 Santiago, ChileFiestas Patrias · 16–21 Sep18 and 19 September, and in practice most of the week: fondas, cueca and barbecue, with shops shut, roads out of the city jammed and flights domestically full.83climate
  25. 🇬🇹 Guatemala City, GuatemalaIndependence Day · 14–15 SepTorch relays run into the capital along the highways through the evening of the fourteenth and the school bands take the avenues the next morning.83climate

…and 39 more in September.

What's on around the world in September →

National holiday in October

  1. 🇬🇷 Athens, GreeceOhi Day · 28 OctA military parade closes Vasilissis Sofias and Syntagma on the 28th and the country takes the day off; museums and most shops shut, and it usually pulls a long weekend with it.94climate
  2. 🇰🇪 Nairobi, KenyaMashujaa Day · 20 OctHeroes' Day on 20 October, a public holiday landing in the busiest safari month of the year.90climate
  3. 🇹🇷 Ankara, TurkeyRepublic Day · 27–30 OctThe 29th of October is the capital's own holiday, with a parade, a flypast and a long weekend that empties the city towards the coast.90climate
  4. 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesDia de los Muertos · 25 Oct – 3 Nov (usually)Altars and an all-night gathering in the Hollywood Forever cemetery on the Saturday nearest 2 November, plus nine days of processions on Olvera Street.89climate
  5. 🇹🇷 Bursa, TurkeyRepublic Day · 27–30 OctThe 29th of October gives Turkey a long weekend, and Bursa is close enough to Istanbul to absorb a lot of it.89climate
  6. Norfolk Island, Norfolk IslandAgricultural Show Day · 8–14 Oct (usually)The second Monday in October is a public holiday for the show: produce, livestock, baking and the year's arguments about whose lemons are better.89climate
  7. 🇹🇷 Istanbul, TurkeyRepublic Day · 28–29 OctThe holiday starts at one o'clock on 28 October.88climate
  8. 🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainNou d'Octubre · 9 OctThe regional holiday: the Senyera comes down from the town hall balcony at noon and is walked to the cathedral, a mascleta goes off at two, and a Moors and Christians parade takes Calle de la Paz in the late afternoon.88climate
  9. 🇨🇳 Shanghai, ChinaMid-Autumn Festival · 8 Sep – 8 Oct (usually)Mooncakes from every bakery and a short national break that some years runs straight into the October holiday, making one very long one.84climate
  10. 🇰🇷 Incheon, South KoreaChuseok · 5 Sep – 10 Oct (usually)The airport is the pinch point of the whole country for about five days.84climate
  11. 🇪🇨 Cuenca, EcuadorIndependencia de Cuenca · 31 Oct – 5 NovThe Day of the Dead on the second runs straight into the city's independence day on the third, which makes it the longest bridge in the Ecuadorian year and the week Cuenca is fullest.84climate
  12. 🇰🇷 Gyeongju, South KoreaChuseok · 5 Sep – 10 Oct (usually)The harvest holiday empties the cities and fills the old capital.83climate
  13. 🇿🇲 Lusaka, ZambiaIndependence Day · 21–27 Oct (usually)Zambia's national day falls on 24 October, with government offices, banks and many shops closed and stadium celebrations and parades filling Lusaka for the holiday.82climate
  14. 🇧🇼 Gaborone, BotswanaBotswana Day · 30 Sep – 1 OctTwo days off for independence, with the stadium event and street stalls in the centre.82climate
  15. 🇺🇬 Kampala, UgandaIndependence Day · 9 OctThe 9 October holiday closes offices and banks.79climate
  16. 🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesHalloween and Krewe of Boo · 20 Oct – 2 Nov (usually)The city takes Halloween not far short of how it takes Carnival: a night parade with floats through the Marigny and the Quarter, and Frenchmen Street in costume for the weekend either side.79climate
  17. 🇭🇺 Budapest, Hungary23 October national holiday · 23 OctThe 1956 anniversary is a public holiday with ceremonies on Kossuth Square and closed offices, museums and most shops.78climate
  18. 🇳🇵 Gorkha, NepalDashain at Gorkha Kalika · 20 Sep – 25 Oct (usually)The shrine above the old palace is one of the country's principal Dashain sites and the queue up the ridge runs for hours on the eighth and ninth nights.78climate
  19. 🇲🇩 Chișinău, MoldovaChișinău City Day · 13–15 OctThe capital's hram on 14 October: a craft fair down the middle of Ștefan cel Mare, concerts in the evening and a public holiday for the city only.75climate
  20. 🇼🇸 Savai'i, SamoaWhite Sunday · 8–14 Oct (usually)The second Sunday in October belongs to the children: they lead the service in white, recite what they have learned, and are served first at the meal afterwards.75climate
  21. 🇳🇷 Yaren, NauruAngam Day · 26–27 Oct26 October marks the day the Nauruan population climbed back past 1,500, the number thought to be needed for the people to survive after influenza and the war.73climate
  22. 🇪🇨 Guayaquil, EcuadorFiestas Octubrinas · 1–12 OctThe biggest block in the city's calendar: independence day on 9 October with military and civic parades, a solemn session at the town hall, and a bridge holiday that runs into 12 October.73climate
  23. Alofi, NiueConstitution Celebrations · 17–28 Oct (usually)Niue's biggest week: village shows, sport and feasting around 19 October, with Peniamina Gospel Day on the fourth Monday after it.72climate
  24. 🇫🇯 Taveuni, FijiFiji Day · 10–11 Oct10 October is independence, and on an island of villages it is church, sport and a shared meal rather than a parade.71climate
  25. 🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandAll Saints · 30 Oct – 2 NovThe country travels home on 1 November and the cemeteries burn with candles after dark; Rakowicki is the one to walk.70climate

…and 20 more in October.

What's on around the world in October →

National holiday in November

  1. 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, United StatesDia de los Muertos · 25 Oct – 3 Nov (usually)Altars and an all-night gathering in the Hollywood Forever cemetery on the Saturday nearest 2 November, plus nine days of processions on Olvera Street.91climate
  2. 🇧🇴 Cochabamba, BoliviaTodos Santos · 1–2 NovHouseholds build a table of bread figures, fruit and the dead person's favourite food from midday on the first, then carry it to the cemetery on the second.90climate
  3. Norfolk Island, Norfolk IslandThanksgiving Day · 22–28 Nov (usually)An American whaling-era import kept nowhere else in the Pacific, on the fourth Wednesday in November.90climate
  4. 🇲🇦 Rabat, MoroccoGreen March anniversary · 4–8 NovThe 6th of November closes public offices and fills the capital with flags.89climate
  5. Dakhla, Western SaharaGreen March anniversary · 4–8 NovThe 6th of November is the date Morocco marks its claim on the Sahara, and nowhere marks it harder than here: flags, official events and closed public offices for the long weekend.89climate
  6. Laayoune, Western SaharaGreen March Day · 6–7 Nov6 November is the anniversary of the 1975 march into Western Sahara, and Laayoune is where Morocco stages the commemoration: flags on every pole, official speeches and a town that stops for the day.88climate
  7. 🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala, GuatemalaGiant kites for All Saints · 1 NovOn 1 November the villages half an hour up the road, Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepequez, raise barriletes the height of a house over the cemetery while families eat fiambre among the graves.86climate
  8. 🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesHalloween and Krewe of Boo · 20 Oct – 2 Nov (usually)The city takes Halloween not far short of how it takes Carnival: a night parade with floats through the Marigny and the Quarter, and Frenchmen Street in costume for the weekend either side.85climate
  9. 🇲🇷 Nouakchott, MauritaniaIndependence Day · 28 Nov28 November closes government offices and banks.80climate
  10. 🇪🇨 Cuenca, EcuadorIndependencia de Cuenca · 31 Oct – 5 NovThe Day of the Dead on the second runs straight into the city's independence day on the third, which makes it the longest bridge in the Ecuadorian year and the week Cuenca is fullest.79climate
  11. 🇴🇲 Muscat, OmanOman National Day · 16–22 NovFlags on every building and two days of public holiday around 18 November, with fireworks on the corniche and the roads out of the city solid on the evening before.78climate
  12. 🇴🇲 Khasab, OmanOman National Day · 18–22 Nov (usually)Oman takes a couple of days in the third week of November and the road down from the Emirates fills with weekenders.78climate
  13. 🇦🇪 Fujairah, United Arab EmiratesUAE National Day · 30 Nov – 3 DecThe 2nd and 3rd of December give the country a long weekend and the east-coast hotels fill with it.76climate
  14. 🇹🇷 Ankara, TurkeyAtatürk commemoration · 9–11 NovAt five past nine on the 10th the sirens sound and the country stops where it stands.73climate
  15. Vatican City, Vatican CityAll Saints and holy-day closures · 1–2 NovThe museums shut on 1 November with the rest of Italy, and for a scattering of other holy days across the year.72climate
  16. 🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa, TongaConstitution Day · 4 Nov4 November marks the 1875 constitution that kept Tonga the only Pacific kingdom never formally colonised.71climate
  17. 🇦🇴 Luanda, AngolaIndependence Day · 11 NovThe 11 November holiday shuts the city and puts a ceremony on the Marginal.71climate
  18. 🇺🇸 New York, United StatesThanksgiving · 24–30 Nov (usually)The fourth Thursday of November.68climate
  19. 🇦🇬 St. John's, Antigua and BarbudaIndependence Day and food fair · 25 Oct – 1 NovIndependence week closes on 1 November with a parade, awards and a national food fair in the capital.67climate
  20. Sint Eustatius, Sint EustatiusStatia Day · 9–16 NovThe sixteenth of November marks the First Salute of 1776, when Fort Oranje answered an American ship's guns and became the first place to recognise the United States.67climate
  21. 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaThe Monday puentes · 1 Jan – 31 DecColombia moves most of its public holidays onto a Monday, so the country takes a long weekend roughly every month.66climate
  22. 🇩🇲 Roseau, DominicaIndependence and Creole season · 25 Oct – 5 NovIndependence on the third of November closes the country and the fortnight around it is when madras dress, Kwéyòl and the village food stalls come out properly.65climate
  23. 🇱🇷 Monrovia, LiberiaLiberian Thanksgiving · 1–7 Nov (usually)Liberia keeps its own Thanksgiving on the first Thursday of November, a church-centred holiday inherited from the settler founders.65climate
  24. 🇭🇹 Port-au-Prince, HaitiFèt Gede · 1–2 NovThe Vodou festival of the dead falls on the Catholic days for it, and the Grand Cimetière fills with people in purple and black for the Gede lwa.65climate
  25. 🇸🇷 Paramaribo, SurinameSrefidensi · 24–26 NovIndependence day on 25 November closes the country and fills the Onafhankelijkheidsplein in front of the wooden palace.64climate

…and 13 more in November.

What's on around the world in November →

National holiday in December

  1. 🇺🇾 Montevideo, UruguayNew Year on the rambla · 31 Dec – 1 JanCiudad Vieja offices shower the street with old paperwork before noon on 31 December, then the city eats at home and reappears on Pocitos beach around midnight.88climate
  2. 🇧🇭 Manama, BahrainBahrain National Day · 15–18 DecThe 16th and 17th of December give a long weekend at the best time of year to be outdoors, so the corniche and the beaches are busy and the hotels are full.87climate
  3. 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesUAE National Day · 1–3 DecPublic holidays on 2 and 3 December with fireworks over the Corniche, air displays and flags on every car.86climate
  4. 🇶🇦 Doha, QatarQatar National Day · 16–20 DecThe 18 December holiday, with a parade on the corniche, fireworks and flags on every car.86climate
  5. 🇦🇪 Dubai, United Arab EmiratesUAE National Day · 1–3 DecTwo public holidays on 2 and 3 December, with fireworks, air displays and flags on every car.85climate
  6. 🇦🇪 Fujairah, United Arab EmiratesUAE National Day · 30 Nov – 3 DecThe 2nd and 3rd of December give the country a long weekend and the east-coast hotels fill with it.85climate
  7. 🇳🇪 Niamey, NigerRepublic Day · 18 Dec18 December is the biggest civic date of the Nigerien year and the government has traditionally rotated the main ceremony around a different regional capital.84climate
  8. The Bottom, SabaSaba Day · 1–7 Dec (usually)The first Friday in December marks the 1985 adoption of Saba's flag and anthem, and the whole island stops: offices, schools and shops close for a day of parades and community events across all four villages, The Bottom included.80climate
  9. 🇨🇴 Medellín, ColombiaThe Monday puentes · 1 Jan – 31 DecColombia moves most of its public holidays onto a Monday, so the country takes a long weekend roughly every month.78climate
  10. 🇧🇫 Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoProclamation of Independence · 11 DecThe 11 December national day is celebrated in a different regional capital each year under the Faso Days programme, with roads and buildings put up for it.78climate
  11. 🇨🇫 Bangui, Central African RepublicNational Day · 1 Dec1 December marks the proclamation of the republic in 1958 and is the bigger of the country's two national dates in practice.76climate
  12. 🇸🇿 Mbabane, EswatiniIncwala ceremony · 20 Dec – 10 Jan (usually)Eswatini's most sacred ritual, timed by the moon rather than the calendar, runs from the Little Incwala shortly before Christmas to the King's first-fruits ceremony in early January, a gazetted public holiday.76climate
  13. 🇷🇪 Saint-Denis, RéunionFèt Kaf · 20 Dec20 December marks the abolition of slavery in 1848 and is the island's own holiday rather than a French one — kabar drumming, maloya into the night, and everything closed.71climate
  14. 🇵🇾 Asunción, ParaguayCaacupé pilgrimage · 4–8 DecRoute 2 out of the city fills with walkers for days before 8 December, most setting off at night to reach the basilica fifty kilometres away by dawn.64climate
  15. 🇵🇭 Manila, PhilippinesNew Year's Eve firecrackers · 31 Dec – 1 JanMidnight is deafening and the smoke over the city takes most of the next morning to thin out.62climate
  16. 🇬🇪 Kutaisi, GeorgiaNew Year and Georgian Christmas · 31 Dec – 7 JanGeorgia takes the whole first week of January off and Christmas falls on the seventh.61climate
  17. 🇷🇴 Bucharest, RomaniaGreat Union Day · 1 DecThe military parade passes the Arcul de Triumf on 1 December and the whole country has the day off.54climate
  18. 🇦🇲 Dilijan, ArmeniaArmenian New Year and Christmas · 31 Dec – 6 JanArmenia keeps a long holiday from New Year through Christmas on the sixth of January, and Yerevan families take the forest guesthouses for it.53climate
  19. 🇬🇪 Bakuriani, GeorgiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanGeorgia takes the first week of January off and a large part of Tbilisi drives up here for it.36climate
  20. 🇫🇮 Helsinki, FinlandIndependence Day · 6 DecTwo candles in every window, a torchlit student march from Hietaniemi cemetery to Senate Square, and the whole country watching the presidential reception on television.34climate
  21. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanRussia takes the first week of January off entirely: offices and many small places shut, the trains and flights are full, and the ice town and rink on Minin Square are where the city actually is.30climate
  22. 🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanThe country takes the first week of January off, and here it is spent at the ice town built on the square by the dam — carved slides, a snow maze and a queue for hot food.29climate
  23. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaNew Year holidays · 31 Dec – 8 JanThe country stops for the first week of January.25climate

What's on around the world in December →