Zimbabwe’s Best Celebrations, From New Year at the Falls to HIFA

The Victoria Falls Carnival runs annually from 29 to 31 December in Victoria Falls town, a short walk from the falls themselves. It is the largest gathering of the year in the town and the reason a lot of people choose Zimbabwe for New Year at all.

The shape of it has been consistent for years: a party on a vintage steam train out to a bush venue on the first night, a daytime colour party on the second, and the main New Year's Eve event on the third, running past midnight. Tickets go on sale through the festival's own channels, and the train night is traditionally the first to sell out.

Practical warning: the town is at its absolute fullest that week. Rooms, transfers and activity slots need booking months out, and rates over New Year are the highest of the year.
Mosi-oa-Tunya, Victoria Falls, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/509

Zimbabwe marks independence on 18 April, the date in 1980 when the country became Zimbabwe. It is the largest civic celebration of the year, centred on a main stadium event with music, military display and a presidential address, and echoed by smaller gatherings in every town.

It falls in autumn, at the end of the rains, when the Zambezi is high and Victoria Falls is close to its peak flow. That is the opposite trade-off from the dry season: the falls are thunderous and the spray is heavy enough to soak you and obscure the view, while game viewing in Hwange is at its hardest because water is everywhere and the animals are dispersed.

In 2026 it falls on a Saturday, in 2027 a Sunday, and in 2028 a Tuesday.

Tours, activities, lodges and restaurants all operate on Zimbabwean public holidays. Banks, government offices and the immigration desks at head offices close. Border posts, including Victoria Falls and Kazungula, stay open and get busier.

National park gates keep normal hours, and park fees do not change for holidays. What changes is the domestic demand around them.

Booking guidance: the New Year week needs six months or more for a room in Victoria Falls. Easter needs three to four. Independence Day needs nothing in particular unless you want to be in Harare for the main event.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
https://www.zimparks.org.zw/