Good Time to Visit
Weather
There are four seasons in Lebanon: spring and autumn are warm and pleasant, summer (June to September) is hot on the coast and cooler in the mountains, whilst winter (December to mid March) is mostly rainy, with snow in the mountains. Average annual rainfall in Beirut is 92 cm and average temperatures range from 13 to 27°C.
More information about the Lebanese weather may be found in Climate in Lebanon.
Festivals
Events are often connected to the major Islamic or Christian public holidays. Other special events include the International Weddings Exhibition in Beirut, held in the spring. A world famous arts festival is held every year in Baalbek, during July. Beirut also has a vibrant arts scene, with numerous performances, exhibits, fashion shows, and concerts held throughout the year in its galleries, museums, theatres, and public spaces.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Lebanon:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| 6 January | Orthodox Armenian Christmas |
| 9 February | Feast of St Maroun |
| March/April (variable) | Good Friday and Orthodox Good Friday |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Sunday and Orthodox Easter |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 6 May | Martyrs' Day |
| 13 May | Resistance and Liberation Day |
| 15 August | Assumption Day |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day |
| 22 November | Independence Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Islamic New Year |
| Variable* | Ashoura |
| Variable* | Mawlid al-Nabi (Prophet's Birthday) |
| 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.
