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Libyan Anniversaries, Public Holidays, Festivals & Tourist Events
Update: click here for Ghadames Festival dates.
Festivals are large celebrations with plenty of food, drinks, dance and music. In one ancient Egyptian festival in the 12th century BC, over 11000 loaves of bread and nearly 400 jars of beer were made available to the public. Original festivals and feasts were part of a larger ritual belief, largely determined by lunar or solar cycles. When grains germinate and produce more grains, year after year, humans thankfully reacted with owe and admiration in order to guarantee the following harvest. Most Ancient festivals were religious, while others were royal, like the Libyan-Egyptian Sed festival which celebrated the thirtieth year of the pharaoh's rule. Ramesses III established his own festival to celebrate his victory over the Libyans who attempted to regain control over the conquered land. Nowadays, most festivals, except the religious ones, became automated and occur according to a fixed day of the year, regardless of the position of the heavenly bodies or the period they supposed to celebrate.
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| Description: |
Public holiday commemorating Al Fath' Revolution over the monarchy in the 1st of September 1969. A great day of celebrations and parades, rallies and events across the whole of Libya.
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| Date: | 1 September |
Evacuation Day (Eid Aljala): 28th of March:
| Description: |
Public holiday celebrating the deportation (or the withdrawal) of the British troops from Libyan soil.
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| Date: | 28th of March 28th |
Evacuation Day (Eid Aljala): 11th of June:
Description: |
Public holiday celebrating the deportation (or the withdrawal) of the American troops from Libyan soil.
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| Date: | 11th of June |
Evacuation Day (Eid Aljala): 7th of October:
Description: |
Public holiday celebrating the deportation (or the withdrawal) of the Italian troops from Libyan soil.
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| Date: | 7th of October |
Day of Mourning: 26th of October:
Description: |
A mourning day in commemoration of those who lost their lives during the Italian occupation.
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| Date: | 26th October |
Eid Al Fitr: (The Break-Fast Feast): 3 days
Description: |
End of the holy month of Ramadan (the fasting month): one of the biggest festivals in the Islamic calendar, marked by visits to the mosques and the homes of all friends and families, wishing them a happy Eid, and celebrations across the country. All children and young people wear bran new clothes, receive new presents (toys and money), play and have fun.
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| Date: | 3 days after end of Ramadan (date shifts with lunar calendar) |
Eid Al Adh'a (The Sacrificial Feast):
| Description: | The second most important feast is the sacrificial feast, which comes after the Haj or pilgrimage to Mecca, in recognition of Abraham's devotion to God. When God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his sun Ismaeil, to test his belief and devotion, Abraham took his sun to a secluded spot, placed his neck on a stone, and as about to sacrifice his son, God sent him a ram instead and instructed him to spare the life of his son. Ever since Muslim all over the world continue to sacrifice once a year.
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| Date: | 4 days after end of Haj (pilgrimage) (date shifts with lunar calendar). |
Libyan Arab and International Anniversaries.
Libyan National Anniversaries.
Libyan Religious Anniversaries.
The Ghadames International Festival
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It is a colourful event in which people gather to feast, sing and dance. A celebration of local Tuareg culture and traditions. The festival is expected to start with an opening ceremony on the first day; followed by exhibitions of traditional industries on the second day and then music and dance shows at night. The third day would include Mehari races and introduction to Tuareg life. However, the festival is mainly held by the residents of the old city, who appear to have an issue with the Tuareg living outside the city. The Tuareg then went on to set up their own festival, named the Tuareg Festival, which will be held on the 2nd of September 2009. This means that there are two festivals in Ghadames.
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October: There are conflicting reports regarding the dates for this year's festival in Ghadames. In addition to the 17th of October and the 23rd of October, we were given an earlier date by the organisation in charge of Ghadames Festival. They say the festival will be held on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th of October 2009, and that they will be able to confirm the dates two or three weeks before the event. Please return to this page around that time for the latest. So it looks like this: Tuareg Festival: 02/09/2009
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26 July 2009
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22 September 2009
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We have been informed by the organisers of Ghadames festival that the dates for the main festival have been moved forward to: 29th,30th and 31st of October 2009. Please note that we are providing this update as is and we are not responsible for its accuracy. The latest information we have: 29th,30th and 31st of October 2009. (29,30,31/10/2009)
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Ghat Festival
| Description: |
Ghat is a Tuareg oasis, situated in southern Libya, very close to Algeria and Niger. The Ghat Tourist Festival is normally held near the end of December (29 to 31 December), and lasts for three days. It is an important festival where Tuareg tribes from Libya, Algeria and Niger, and tourists, meet and celebrate the Tuareg traditional culture, folklore and heritage and explore handicraft exhibitions of traditional industries. The Tuareg's best travel companion, the camel, plays an important role in the festival. A unique opportunity to experience the Tuareg way of life and find out about this enigmatic people. The first Ghat festival was held on the 30th of December 1994.
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| Date: | 29, 30, 31 of December |
| Update: |
New Date: November 2010: The head of the Ghat Festival Committee has announced that the date for Ghat festival will now take place in the month of November. The reason for the change was that a number of students participate in this cultural festival and that the old date coincides with their exams. The new date allows students to take part without affecting their studies.
The news was released by the Libya Oea at:
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Germa Arts, Heritage and Tourism Festival
| Description: | The Germa Arts, Heritage and Tourism Festival is normally held in the month of February, and is organised by Wadi el-Hayat Municipality.
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| Date: | February |
Nalut Spring Festival
| Description: | Nalut Spring Festival, as the name suggests, was established to revive and promote the local culture, traditions, industries and arts as part of Libya's sacred heritage. Being on the main route to Ghadames the festival has attracted a number of foreign visitors, in their way to the desert sites of Acacus and Ubari. In fact, many tourists come specifically to visit this festival, as they do visit the festivals of Ghat and Ghadames and also the Festival in the Desert: the Tuareg Festival in Mali. Nalut Spring Festival is normally held in late March (29th of March), and lasts for 3 days. The festival begins with lighting a flame and the opening ceremony, followed by a parade of local schools and folk groups, before various performers entertain the guests with traditional music and dance at night.
The Goals of Nalut Festival:
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| Date: | March (around the 29th of the month). |
Tripoli International Tourism Expo
| Description: | The first Tripoli International Tourism Expo (T.I.T.E.) will be held in Tripoli from 12th - 15th of May 2008.
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| Date: | 12 May |
Zuwarah Awessu Festival
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Description: |
Awessu was originally a sea ceremony held in the town of Zuwarah, in west Libya, probably in association with Sea-wroship. The Berbers of Zuwara take into the sea, before sunrise, purify themselves, their animals too, and their wool garments and blankets, to purify themselves and release some of the accumilated sins into the salt. Then leave the sea and feast by the beach for the remaining of the day. The festival has become a commercial festival, where the purpose of the ceremony has disappeared and was replaced by a music festival, which sometimes takes place, and at other times it does not.
For more information about this, see our Zuwarah Page.
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| Date: | August |
Libya Build 2008
| Description: | The 5th International Building and Construction Exhibition will be held between 19th and 22nd of May 2008, at Tripoli International Fairs Centre.
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| Date: | 19 May |
Derj (Daraj) Tourist Festival
| Description: | Derj Tourist Festival for Arts and Heritage is normally held in the month of September, and is organised by the Ghadames Municipality.
Derj Tourist Festival for Arts and Heritage is normally held in the month of September, and is organised by the Ghadames Municipality. But in 2008 the festival was held in the month of December. The festival feature shows of traditional music, traditional crafts and exhibits of local culture and heritage.
Please visit the Derj Festival website for more information (in Arabic): http://www.seederg.com/newsSys.jsp
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| Date: | Usually in September: (but in 2008, the festival was held during the middle of December). |
Date Harvest Festivals
| Description: | Date Harvest Festivals are held in various parts of Libya during the month of October.
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| Date: | October |
Kabaw el-Gaser Tourist Festival
| Description: | el-Gaser Tourist Festival is normally held in the month of October, in Kabaw, Nafousa Mountain.
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| Date: | October |
The Green Mountain International Tourist Festival
| Description: | The al-Jabel al-Akhdar International Tourist Festival is normally held in the month of October, in Shahhat (Cyrene).
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| Date: | October |
Other Sahara Festivals
Festival In The Desert
| Description: |
The Festival in the Desert began in 2001 after Tuareg rebels abandoned their guns for the guitar. The festival is a 3 day international music event, celebrating Tuareg culture and way of life. The festival takes place in Mali, in the oasis Essakane, located about 70 kilometres northwest of the legendary Timbuktu: clean white sand dunes, with tents and camels everywhere, and a concrete stage built onto the sand. Most of the festival's attendees are Tuareg nomads who arrive on their dignified camels from all over the Sahara. A truly fantastic opportunity to hear and experience Berber music at its best. The festival comprises about 45 acts, embodying traditional and contemporary music from all over Mali and from neighbouring countries, like Niger and Mauritania. Visit official website: www.festival-au-desert.org
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| Date: | 5-11 January 2009 |
| Date: | 7, 8, 9 January 2010 |
Festival On The Niger
| Description: |
Festival on the Niger is a unique 4-day music festival, which will be held in Segou, by the banks of the River Niger, also in Mali, at the end of January 2009. Segou is the capital of the ancient Bambara kingdom, and is the region of traditional music and dance. The festival program features traditional and contemporary music, dance, tales, legends, masks, huge puppets, traditional crafts expositions, and sculpture and jewellery. The theme of the festival this year is " Environmental Solutions ". Visit official website: www.festivalsegou.org
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| Date: | January 29 - February 1, 2009. |
International Festival of the Sahara at Douz
| Description: |
The International Festival of the Sahara at Douz, in
Tunisia, is a 4-day music and dance festival, celebrating
the culture of desert at the heart of the
Tunisian sahara, in the small Berber oasis town of Douz,
where palm trees outnumber humans by 25 to 1.
The activities include horse races, camel fights,
rabbit chases, a visit to Douz Museum, sand skiing,
go-karting, balloon rides and shopping in the local
traditional market. Visit official website: http://www.festivaldouz.org.tn/
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| Date: | 25-28 December (as of 2008): the dates change to avoid clashing with Ramadan. |