What is on, and when

ZanzibarTanzania

East Africa’s best-known music festival, held in the Old Fort in Stone Town.

Stone Town books out and room rates roughly double for the weekend. Reserve months ahead, and stay walking distance from the Fort — taxis through those lanes are slower than feet.

Usually February — dates not yet announcedOfficial site

KigaliRwanda

A UCI stage race through the hills, finishing in Kigali.

Roads on the route close for hours around the peloton. If you are driving between Kigali and Musanze that week, check the stage map first.

Usually February — dates not yet announced

Mount KilimanjaroTanzania

A road marathon and half from Moshi, in the shadow of the mountain.

Moshi sits at around 800m, so the altitude is not the problem — the heat is. Entries open months ahead and accommodation in Moshi is limited.

Usually March — dates not yet announced

KigaliRwanda

The national commemoration period beginning on 7 April.

The first week is a period of official mourning. Music in public places is restricted, many businesses close or shorten hours, and the tone across the country is subdued. Travel is entirely possible; behaving as though it is an ordinary week is not.

Usually April — dates not yet announced

ArushaTanzania

The region’s largest tourism trade fair, held in Arusha.

A trade event rather than a public one, but it is when most East African operators are in one place. If you are choosing between companies, this is the week they are all reachable.

Usually June — dates not yet announced

Laikipia and Ol PejetaKenya

An off-road motorsport fundraiser for Rhino Ark, at a location kept secret until shortly before.

Spectator access is limited and the site is announced late by design. Follow the organisers rather than planning a trip around it.

Usually June — dates not yet announced

KampalaUganda

A national pilgrimage to Namugongo, drawing crowds from across the region.

Held on 3 June. Roads into Kampala from the east are effectively closed to normal traffic that day — if you are transiting, move the day before or the day after.

Usually June — dates not yet announced

ZanzibarTanzania

Screenings across Stone Town, including open-air nights in the Old Fort.

Falls in the dry season and in European high season, so it stacks on top of already-high room rates. The open-air screenings are the ones worth planning around.

Usually July — dates not yet announced

ZanzibarTanzania

The Shirazi new year, marked at Makunduchi in the south of the island.

A village festival rather than a tourist event — the ritual mock fighting is real and visitors watch rather than join. Go with someone local, and ask before photographing anyone.

Usually July — dates not yet announced

Maasai MaraKenya

The months the herds are north of the Mara River, roughly July to October.

Not an event with a date — the herds move on rain, not a calendar. Treat a river crossing as a possibility rather than an itinerary item, and give yourself three days in the north rather than one.

Usually August — dates not yet announced

Dar es SalaamTanzania

Music, dance and theatre at the old slaving port north of Dar es Salaam.

Bagamoyo is around two hours from Dar on a good day. Worth pairing with the ruins at Kaole rather than treating the festival as the only reason to go.

Usually September — dates not yet announced

LamuKenya

The Prophet’s birthday, marked in Lamu with processions and recitation.

Dates follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move roughly eleven days earlier each year, so the month here is indicative only — check before booking. Dress modestly; this is a religious observance, not a spectacle.

Usually September — dates not yet announced

Volcanoes National ParkRwanda

Rwanda’s gorilla naming ceremony, held at the foot of the Virungas in Kinigi.

Attendance is by invitation for the ceremony itself, but the week around it has public events in Musanze and Kigali. Gorilla permits for that week go early.

Usually September — dates not yet announcedOfficial site

KampalaUganda

A street festival that closes the city centre for a day of music and parades.

The centre is genuinely shut to vehicles. Good if you are already in Kampala, awkward if you have a flight — Entebbe is an hour away on a normal day and longer on this one.

Usually October — dates not yet announced

LamuKenya

Dhow races, donkey races and Swahili poetry across Lamu town.

There are no cars on Lamu and very few rooms. Book far ahead, and expect the island to be busier than at any other point in the year.

Usually November — dates not yet announced

Jinja and the Source of the NileUganda

Four days of East African electronic and traditional music on the banks of the Nile.

Camping on site is the intended experience and the reason people come back. Jinja’s hotels fill first; the festival’s own campsite is usually still available when they have gone.

Usually November — dates not yet announced