Good Time to Visit
Weather
Ghana's climate is tropical, hot and humid - especially in the north and in the southwest plains. There are two rainy seasons: from March to July and from September to October. (For more information, see Climate in Ghana).
Visitors are advised to bring tropical lightweight clothing, along with waterproofs during the rainy season.
Festivals
Panafest is held in the summer as a celebration of Ghanaian roots where people come to celebrate their heritage. The Homowo Festival celebrates the harvest with dances that are 'making fun of hunger; (the translation of 'Homowo'). The Aboakyer Festival is celebrated in central Ghana to mark the migration of this group from Western Sudan.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Ghana:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| 6 March | Independence Day |
| March/April (variable) | Good Friday |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 25 May | Africa Day |
| 1 July | Republic Day |
| December (variable) | National Farmers' Day |
| 25-26 December | Christmas |
| 31 December | Revolution Day |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Adha (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.