Mahé Events

The Seychellois calendar is small but the main festival is genuinely the country’s own.

Festival Kreol — late October

A week celebrating Creole language, music, food and craft, held mainly on this island and the national cultural event of the year. It grew out of the post-independence project to make Seselwa a written, taught and broadcast language rather than a stigmatised patois, and the programme reflects that: moutya and sega performances, kanmtole bands, poetry and theatre in Creole, a food fair with the dishes that rarely appear on restaurant menus, craft demonstrations, boat-building and a street parade through the capital. Delegations come from the other Creole-speaking societies of the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, which makes it a genuine international Creole gathering rather than a local one. Most events are free and the atmosphere is relaxed.

SUBIOS underwater festival — usually November

Underwater film and photography, with talks, competitions and dives, celebrating the marine environment.

Feast of the Assumption — 15 August

Observed nationally, and a particularly large occasion on La Digue, where the whole country seems to converge for the day.

Carnaval and national day — varies and 29 June

Independence day is marked with parades and events across the island, and the capital has at times hosted an international carnival of costumed troupes from several continents.

Beau Vallon bazaar — Wednesday evenings

A weekly beach market of grilled fish, kebabs, craft stalls and music set up on the sand as the sun goes down, which has become a fixture for residents as much as visitors. It is the most reliable way to eat well and cheaply on the island on any given week, and the closest thing to a regular night out that Mahe offers.