Celebrate Ethiopia’s four most important festivals.
Visit Lalibela’s UNESCO-listed rock-hewn churches.
Ethiopian music, dance, and cuisine. Enjoy the moment.
Meet local communities and experience genuine Ethiopian.
Discover local markets and traditional villages, feel culture flowing.
Experience Ethiopia’s Most Spectacular Cultural and Religious Festivals
Join Zufan Eco Tours on an unforgettable journey through Ethiopia during the country’s most important celebrations. This exclusive festival tour combines
- Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)
- Meskel (Finding of the True Cross)
- Genna (Ethiopian Christmas)
- Timkat (Epiphany)
Together with visits to Ethiopia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant cultural traditions.
Enkutatash – Ethiopian New Year
11 September 2026
Celebrate the beginning of the Ethiopian New Year. After the rainy season, the countryside becomes beautifully green and is covered with bright yellow Meskel flowers. Families gather for special meals, children sing traditional New Year songs, churches hold services, and communities celebrate with music, dancing, and joy.
Meskel Festival – Finding of the True Cross
27 September 2026
Meskel is one of Ethiopia’s oldest and most spectacular religious festivals. According to Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, it commemorates the discovery of the True Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
Thousands of worshippers dressed in traditional white clothing gather in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa and in towns across Ethiopia. The celebration features colourful religious processions, priests carrying beautifully decorated crosses, traditional chanting, and the lighting of the enormous Demera bonfire.
Meskel has been recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Genna – Ethiopian Christmas
7 January 2027
Experience Ethiopian Christmas in the holy city of Lalibela, one of the world’s greatest religious destinations.
Thousands of pilgrims travel for days to reach Lalibela’s ancient rock-hewn churches. Throughout the night, priests conduct centuries-old candlelit services while worshippers dressed in traditional white garments fill the churches with prayers, chants, and spiritual devotion.
Watching sunrise over the rock-hewn churches during Genna is one of Africa’s most unforgettable experiences.
Timkat – Ethiopian Epiphany
19 January 2027
(18 January in leap years)
Timkat is Ethiopia’s most famous religious celebration and one of Africa’s greatest cultural festivals.
The festival celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. Decorated replicas of the Ark of the Covenant (Tabots) are carried in magnificent processions accompanied by priests, choirs, drums, umbrellas, and thousands of worshippers.
The highlight takes place early in the morning when holy water is blessed and thousands of believers renew their baptism in colourful ceremonies.
The celebrations in Gondar, Lalibela, Axum, and Addis Ababa are among the most spectacular.
Why Travel During Ethiopia’s Festival Season?
Festival season is the most exciting time to visit Ethiopia. Streets are filled with celebrations, churches welcome thousands of pilgrims, colourful processions take place across the country, and visitors have a unique opportunity to experience traditions that have remained unchanged for centuries.
The weather is also excellent. Following the rainy season, the mountains are green, waterfalls are flowing, wildflowers bloom across the countryside, and wildlife is abundant.
Why Choose Zufan Eco Tours?
At Zufan Eco Tours, we have more than 18 years of experience creating authentic journeys across Ethiopia. Our knowledgeable local guides will introduce you to Ethiopia’s remarkable history, diverse cultures, and living traditions while ensuring a safe, comfortable, and memorable travel experience.
Whether you are interested in history, photography, religion, festivals, or cultural exploration, our Ethiopia Festival Grand Tour offers an experience unlike anywhere else in the world.
Celebrate Ethiopian New Year, Meskel, Christmas, and Timkat on one unforgettable journey. Discover ancient churches, colourful festivals, breathtaking landscapes, and the warm hospitality that makes Ethiopia one of Africa’s most extraordinary destinations.
