Christmas and New Year in Zanzibar: the festive season 2026/27

Is Zanzibar good for Christmas and New Year?

Weather-wise, yes. December sits between the short rains of November and the hot, dry spell of January and February. In Stone Town the average high is about 30 °C and the low 25 °C, the sea is at its warmest, around 30 °C, and the month averages about 100 mm of rain, usually in short tropical showers rather than grey days. By January rainfall drops to about 60 mm. Our page on Zanzibar in December has the details, and the Zanzibar weather guide the figures month by month.

The trade-off is demand. The two weeks from Christmas to early January are the island's peak season: room rates and flights are at their highest, the most popular boat trips run full and the beaches of the north are as busy as they get. If you only want sun and warm water, the first half of December and the second half of January give you almost the same weather with fewer people; see the best time to visit Zanzibar for the whole year.

Christmas in Zanzibar: a holiday on a Muslim island

Zanzibar's population is overwhelmingly Muslim, so do not expect Christmas markets or lit-up streets. Christmas Day and Boxing Day are nevertheless public holidays across Tanzania, banks and government offices close, and the island's Christian minority, many with roots on the mainland, celebrates in church and with family.

In Stone Town two working cathedrals hold Christmas services. The Anglican Christ Church Cathedral was built in the 1870s on the site of the last open slave market, closed by treaty in 1873; its foundation stone was laid on Christmas Day that year. The Catholic St Joseph's Cathedral, with its twin spires near Kenyatta Road, was completed by French missionaries in 1898. Visitors are welcome at services: dress modestly, arrive early and check the times locally, as they are not published far in advance.

Most of the festive atmosphere is in the resorts, which decorate their lobbies, organise children's activities and serve a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner. Outside the hotels, life goes on much as usual, and the usual courtesies apply: cover shoulders and knees in town and in villages.

New Year's Eve in Zanzibar: where to celebrate

New Year, Mwaka Mpya in Swahili, is when the island is at its liveliest. The biggest parties are in the north, at Nungwi and Kendwa, where beach bars and hotels put on DJs, live music and bonfires, and Kendwa's beach clubs, known for their monthly full moon parties, usually hold New Year's Eve events that run until the early hours. On the east coast, the kitesurf and backpacker scene of Paje and Jambiani celebrates in its beach bars, with a more relaxed crowd.

Most resorts organise their own evening with a gala dinner, entertainment and, at some, a fireworks display on the beach at midnight. Stone Town is quieter: rooftop terraces and hotel restaurants hold dinners, but the old town does not have a big public countdown.

If you plan to party away from your hotel, arrange the ride back before you go out. Taxis are scarce after midnight, the roads are dark and shared with scooters and pedestrians, and our safety advice applies doubly on a festive night: carry only the cash you need and leave passports in the hotel safe.

Gala dinners, holiday packages and booking early

Many Zanzibar hotels add a compulsory gala dinner supplement for the nights of 24 and/or 31 December, charged per person even on half-board or all-inclusive rates. In recent years these supplements have ranged from about US$50 to more than US$150 per adult, with reduced rates for children. They are not always shown in the headline price, so read the small print or ask the hotel before you book. Some properties also require a minimum stay over the holidays. If you stay in a small guesthouse, ask whether it serves a special dinner that night or whether you should book a table in a restaurant nearby, which also fill up early.

Book flights and rooms several months ahead: the best-value rooms in the north and on the east coast are often gone by early autumn. If you compare Christmas or New Year packages, the flight-and-hotel deals sold by tour operators, check what the price includes, such as the gala dinner supplement, airport transfers and the board basis, and whether the number of nights meets the hotel's minimum stay. Popular excursions such as the Safari Blue dhow trip also fill up, so reserve them a few days before you go rather than on the day. Our prices and budget guide gives an idea of what things cost the rest of the year.

Ferries between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar run as usual over the holidays, but the days around Christmas and New Year are busy with local travellers visiting family. Buy tickets in advance and allow extra time at the port; see our ferry and transfers guide.

Tides and the full moon over Christmas 2026

Zanzibar's tides are strongest around the full and new moon, and in 2026 the full moon falls on 24 December. Expect the biggest difference between low and high water of the month over the Christmas days, with two low tides a day about twelve and a half hours apart, and again around the new moon in early January.

On the east coast, at Paje, Jambiani, Bwejuu and Matemwe, a spring low tide empties the lagoon for hundreds of metres, which is wonderful for walking among the seaweed farms and rock pools but leaves no water for swimming for several hours. In the north, at Nungwi and Kendwa, the sea stays deep enough to swim at almost any tide. Check the tide table before planning a beach day or a boat trip; our guide to Zanzibar's beaches explains how each coast behaves.

After New Year: Revolution Day and the Mapinduzi Cup

The festive season in Zanzibar does not end on 1 January. On 12 January the island marks Revolution Day (Mapinduzi Day), a public holiday commemorating the 1964 revolution, with official ceremonies and speeches. In 2027 it falls on a Tuesday. The Mapinduzi Cup, a football tournament with Zanzibar and mainland clubs, has been played in recent editions from late December to mid-January at the New Amaan Complex in Unguja, and its final usually falls around the holiday.

Banks, offices and some shops close on public holidays, so withdraw cash beforehand; our article on money in Zanzibar explains how to pay on the island. Looking further ahead, Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, and the Sauti za Busara music festival in Stone Town has been moved to 19–21 March 2027 to avoid it.

A New Year safari or a quieter escape

The holidays are also a good moment to combine the beach with a short safari from Zanzibar: the short rains are usually over on the mainland, and in January and February the wildebeest herds gather on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro area to give birth. Fly-in safaris from Zanzibar airport sell out over New Year, so book them together with your beach hotel.

If you would rather avoid the crowds, look at the quieter beaches of the south and south-east, or plan a day with the dolphins of Kizimkazi on a Mnemba or dolphin trip, leaving early, before the boats from the resorts arrive.