Out & About SA · Botswana

Botswana Events & Festivals

What's on across Botswana — the Maun Festival, the Kuru Dance Festival at D'Kar, the Maitisong arts festival in Gaborone, the Toyota Kalahari 1000 Desert Race, the Domboshaba cultural festival and the Khawa Dune Challenge. Dated events show soonest-first and drop off once they've passed; seasonal and annual events are listed below them. Filter by region and type.

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📅 Where these come from

Event listings move around and dates shift year to year — these are the best live sources to check for the latest:

Botswana Tourism ↗Maitisong Festival ↗Kalahari Desert Race ↗The Voice – events ↗

Full list

Barbel Run — Okavango Panhandle. Seasonal catfish feeding frenzy along the reed edges that draws predatory fish and birds
Botswana Day (Independence) — Gaborone. National independence celebrations across the country, centred on Gaborone
Chobe Elephant Festival — Kasane. Annual celebration in Kasane raising awareness of elephant conservation and human-wildlife coexistence
Dikgafela — Mochudi. Annual Bakgatla thanksgiving ceremony in which women present threshed sorghum to the kgotla
Dithubaruba Cultural Festival — Molepolole. Bakwena heritage festival at the historic Dithubaruba settlement near Molepolole
Domboshaba Cultural Festival — Francistown. Bakalanga heritage festival held at the Domboshaba ruins in the north-east, near Francistown
FNB Kazungula Bridge Marathon — Kasane. Cross-border road race over the Kazungula Bridge, starting in Kasane near Chobe
Khawa Dune Challenge & Cultural Festival — Ghanzi. 'Son of the Soil' dune motorsport and San culture festival held at Khawa village in the Kgalagadi
Khawa Dune Challenge and Cultural Festival — Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Annual quad-bike dune racing and cultural festival at Khawa village near the park
Kuru Dance & Music Festival — D'Kar. Famous San (Bushman) dance and music gathering at D'Kar near Ghanzi, hosted by the Kuru community
Kuru Dance Festival — Ghanzi. Annual San cultural festival at D'Kar with traditional dance, music and storytelling
Lobatse International Beef Festival — Lobatse. Annual music and culture festival celebrating the town's beef-industry heritage
Maitisong Festival — Gaborone. Gaborone's flagship performing-arts festival of theatre, music and dance
Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pans Zebra Migration — Gweta. One of Africa's great zebra migrations across the Makgadikgadi and Nxai grasslands after the rains
Makgadikgadi Zebra Migration — Rakops. Thousands of zebra move between the Makgadikgadi pans and the Boteti River in one of Africa's largest zebra migrations
Maun Festival — Maun. Arts, music and culture celebration in the safari gateway town of Maun
Mmakgodumo Festival — Kanye. Annual cultural festival at Mmakgodumo Dam with music, dance, crafts and traditional food
Nata Bird Sanctuary Flamingo Season — Nata. Tens of thousands of flamingos gather on Sua Pan at the community-run Nata Bird Sanctuary in the wet season
Nedbank Tour de Tuli — Mashatu Game Reserve. Annual multi-day mountain-bike event routed through the Tuli wilderness of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Okavango Barbel Run — Shakawe. Seasonal catfish feeding frenzy along the panhandle channels that draws anglers and birds of prey
Orange Letlhafula — Gaborone. Traditional Botswana food and harvest festival hosted at Botswanacraft in Gaborone
Phane (Mophane Worm) Harvest — Bobonong. The Bobirwa area is known for the seasonal harvesting of mophane worms, a traditional food and local livelihood
Phikwe Marathon — Selebi-Phikwe. Long-running road race, one of Botswana's largest marathons, held annually since 1985
President's Day Celebrations — Gaborone. National public holiday marked with cultural competitions and events countrywide
Toyota Kalahari 1000 Desert Race — Ghanzi. Botswana's premier off-road motorsport event across the Kalahari
Zebra Migration — Nxai Pan National Park. Thousands of zebra move into Nxai Pan with the summer rains, one of Africa's great migrations