Good Time to Visit
Weather
Dry from December to April, long rains May to July, short dry season August to September, short rains from October to November. More extreme in the north with rains from May to October and dry from November to April. (More information can be found in Climate in Cote d'Ivoire).
Visitors are advised to bring tropical lightweights for the day time and warmer clothing for evenings.
Festivals
One of the most famous festivals in Cote d'Ivoire is the Fetes des Masques, or the Festival of Masks, which takes place in villages in the Man region in November. Competitions between villages are held in order to find the best dancers, and to pay homage to the forest spirits embodied in the intricate masks.
Another important event is the week long carnival in Bouaké towards the end of March, which attracts thousands of visitors.
In April, it's the Fete du Dipri in Gomon, near Abidjan, a festival that starts around midnight, when women and children sneak out of their huts naked and to carry out nocturnal rites to exorcise the village of evil spells. Before sunrise, the chief appears, drums pound and villagers go into trances. The frenzy continues until late afternoon of the next day.
The major Muslim holiday is Ramadan, a month when everyone fasts between sunup and sunset in accordance with the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan ends with a huge feast, Eid al-Fitr (Korité), where everyone prays together, visits friends, gives presents and eats well.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in the Cote d'Ivoire:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| May/June (variable) | Ascension |
| May/June (10 days after Ascension) | Whit Monday |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 7 August | Independence Day |
| 15 August | Assumption |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day |
| 15 November | Peace Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) |
| Variable* | Lailat al-Miraj (Ascent of the Prophet) |
| Variable* | Korité (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Tabaski (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.