What's on
Festivals, races, and cultural moments worth planning a trip around, by month. Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify before booking.
2027 ▸
24 events upcoming for Witness / Attend in Africa.
July 2026
Osun-Osogbo Festival
Osogbo · Nigeria
Witness / Attend
Held annually over about two weeks in late July and early August, culminating in the Arugba procession to the Osun river on the final Friday. The 2026 festival ran 27 July to 7 August; the 2027 edition is expected in the same late-July to early-August window.
Dates & details →PANAFEST and Emancipation Day
Cape Coast · Ghana
Witness / Attend
Emancipation Day is commemorated around 1 August every year at the Cape Coast and Elmina castles; the PANAFEST Pan-African festival runs alongside it every two years in odd-numbered years. Upcoming: Emancipation Day observances around 1 August 2026; the next full PANAFEST expected late July to early August 2027.
Dates & details →August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
Witness / Attend in Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel · Egypt
Witness / Attend
Fixed dates set by the sun: February 22 and October 22 every year.
Dates & details →Abissa
Grand-Bassam · Cote d'Ivoire
Witness / Attend
Held each year over about a week from the last Sunday of October to the first Sunday of November in the historic quarter of Grand-Bassam. A traditional N'zima community festival with no single organiser; dates follow the fixed rule rather than an annual announcement.
Dates & details →December 2026
Festival International du Sahara de Douz
Douz · Tunisia
Witness / Attend
About four days at the end of December each year in the Douz festival arena. Upcoming: the 57th edition ran 25 to 28 December 2025; a 58th edition is expected in late December 2026, dates usually confirmed about a month ahead.
Dates & details →Calabar Carnival
Calabar · Nigeria
Witness / Attend
A month-long festival each December in Calabar, with the flagship parades falling between about 26 and 30 December. The 2026 edition runs its main events 26 to 30 December.
Dates & details →January 2027
Vodun Days
Ouidah · Benin
Witness / Attend
Held every year on 8 to 10 January in Ouidah, built around Benin's 10 January national holiday for traditional religions. The 2026 edition ran 8 to 10 January; the 2027 edition is expected on the same dates.
Dates & details →Timkat
Gondar · Ethiopia
Witness / Attend
Timkat, the Ethiopian Orthodox Epiphany, falls on 11 Ter, which is 19 January in most years and 20 January in the year before a Gregorian leap year, with the Ketera eve procession the afternoon before. Upcoming: 19 January 2027 in Gondar; 20 January 2028.
Dates & details →February 2027
Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival
Argungu · Nigeria
Witness / Attend
Held annually over about four days in February or March in Argungu, culminating in the mass fishing contest on the Sokoto river. Suspended for several years over security and revived by the Kebbi State Government; the 61st edition ran 11 to 14 February 2026.
Dates & details →Witness / Attend in Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel · Egypt
Witness / Attend
Fixed dates set by the sun: February 22 and October 22 every year.
Dates & details →N'cwala
Chipata · Zambia
Witness / Attend
Held once a year on the last Saturday of February at Mutenguleni village, near Chipata in Zambia's Eastern Province, as the Ngoni first-fruits ceremony. The Ngoni paramount chief presides, tasting the first produce of the season, and warriors perform the ingoma war dance. The ceremony in its modern form was revived in 1980. Upcoming: the 2026 N'cwala was held on 28 February 2026; the 2027 ceremony is expected on 27 February 2027.
Dates & details →April 2027
July 2027
Evala
Kara · Togo
Witness / Attend
Held each July across the twelve cantons of the Kozah prefecture around Kara, as the Kabye initiation wrestling. The 2026 wrestling ran 11 to 18 July; the 2027 edition is expected in the same mid-July window.
Dates & details →PANAFEST and Emancipation Day
Cape Coast · Ghana
Witness / Attend
Emancipation Day is commemorated around 1 August every year at the Cape Coast and Elmina castles; the PANAFEST Pan-African festival runs alongside it every two years in odd-numbered years. Upcoming: Emancipation Day observances around 1 August 2026; the next full PANAFEST expected late July to early August 2027.
Dates & details →Osun-Osogbo Festival
Osogbo · Nigeria
Witness / Attend
Held annually over about two weeks in late July and early August, culminating in the Arugba procession to the Osun river on the final Friday. The 2026 festival ran 27 July to 7 August; the 2027 edition is expected in the same late-July to early-August window.
Dates & details →August 2027
October 2027
Witness / Attend in Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel · Egypt
Witness / Attend
Fixed dates set by the sun: February 22 and October 22 every year.
Dates & details →Abissa
Grand-Bassam · Cote d'Ivoire
Witness / Attend
Held each year over about a week from the last Sunday of October to the first Sunday of November in the historic quarter of Grand-Bassam. A traditional N'zima community festival with no single organiser; dates follow the fixed rule rather than an annual announcement.
Dates & details →