Ouidah, Benin · World Capital of Vodun · 2027 Edition
Vodun Days 2027 in Ouidah:
the After Vodundays experience, immersive and intimate,
that transforms how you see
the official festival.
From January 2 to 9, 2027, Benin celebrates the 4th edition of the official Vodun Days, a full week when Ouidah becomes the center of Africa's spiritual world. We are there before, during and after: we welcome you from the moment you start planning your trip, we guide you at the heart of the celebrations, in deliberately small groups, with Vodun-certified guides trained alongside the FRABO, historians and guardians of Vodun tradition, then we take you where the crowd never goes. Extend the experience. Live the culture. Touch the soul.
In short
After Vodundays is the hosting programme of ONG Wa Afriki (No. 0108/MISP) in Ouidah, from Monday January 4 to Thursday January 14, 2027, 11 days and 10 nights, with an optional year-end stay at the Palais d'Agondji, December 30 to January 3. It accompanies travellers before, during and after Vodun Days, the Beninese state festival, from January 2 to 9, 2027, Grand Ceremony on Friday the 8th. Three all-inclusive formulas, per person: The Core, 3 days, from €750; The Programme, 7 days, from €1,590; Vodun Days Week, 8 days, from €1,790. Teams of 10 (Standard) or 5 (VIP, from €1,750).
The official programme, tickets and the official campsite are published by the Beninese state on vodundays.bj. After Vodundays does not sell festival tickets: we host travellers in Ouidah before, during and after the festival. Official Vodun Days website
WhatsApp +229 01 61 70 36 66 · contact@aftervodundays.com
The verified 2027 dates →740,668
Unique participants
2026 edition, historic record
+70%
Growth vs 2025
435,250 participants in 2025
56 countries
Represented
19.5% foreign visitors
1.94M
Cumulative visits
Across every Ouidah site
When are the Vodun Days 2027?
Official Vodun Days 2027:
a full week, January 2 to 9.
The countdown has begun.
Law no. 2024-32 of September 2, 2024, passed by Benin's National Assembly on July 30, 2024, sets the National Holiday of traditional religions on the second Friday of January, with the Thursday and Friday as paid public holidays. That regime is unchanged. Starting in 2027, the government extends the programming to a full week: that year's calendar left a gap of three isolated working days before the long weekend, now filled by the festivities. That gives January 2 to 9, with the official core on January 7, 8 and 9.
Our hosting capacity, though, does not follow the crowd: partner accommodations, Vodun-certified guides, places in deliberately limited groups. Once full, no budget reopens them. Booking early is not about paying less, it is about securing the right version of the experience.
Verified on August 7, 2026
Dates verified against law no. 2024-32 of September 2, 2024 and the government's confirmation of August 3, 2026: Vodun Days 2027 from January 2 to 9, Grand Ceremony on Friday the 8th. Next verification when the official programme is published.
Countdown, January 8, 2027
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The calendar is fixed by decree. Our places in accompanied groups, though, are deliberately limited, once full, no one can create more.
This is not a stay. It is a synchronization with Benin's sacred calendar, the only event of this nature in the world.
Every booking directly funds Ouidah's host families, guides and artisans, paid without middlemen.
The network of trust ONG Wa Afriki has built over generations in Ouidah cannot be copied. It is passed down.
What does After Vodundays do before, during and after the Vodun Days?
Before. During. After.
We are already there.
The Vodun Days belong to the Beninese government, and they pull them off beautifully. Your journey, though, belongs to you. Our name says "After," but our presence starts well before: whatever you want to experience in Benin, our job is to help you get it.
Before
From late December
Airport welcome in Cotonou, cultural preparation, first landmarks in the Fon language. Ouidah without the crowds, northern Benin, Abomey, Ganvie, for those who want to get ahead of the crowd, we build the sequence that fits you.
During
2 to 9 January 2027
On the official sites, in deliberately small groups, with Vodun-certified guides trained alongside the FRABO, historians and tradition-guardians. During the walks and the pauses, they tell you what the stage does not: the stories of Ouidah's streets.
After
From January 10... all year
When the crowd leaves, the experience continues: meetings with Bokonons, royal palaces, Porto-Novo, Abomey, Grand-Popo, the Egungun encounter. And 365 days a year, our programs stay open, summer has its own dates too: the 2026 agenda.
Your request doesn't fit any box? That is exactly our specialty.
What will you see at the Vodun Days in Ouidah?
What you'll see.
And what we'll help you understand.
The Beninese state produces an event of global scale, built stages, secured sites, record crowds. Travel agencies bring you there. We give you the keys to reading it: there is a difference between attending a ceremony and witnessing it consciously. The Fa is the system that structures every manifestation.
The sacred outings
Hounvè, Zangbeto, Egungun: the sacred manifestations move through the streets of Ouidah, Place Maro, the Esplanade of the French Fort, the edges of Kpasse's Sacred Forest. Our guides give you the key: who comes out, why at that hour, and what each whirlwind means.
The Grand Vodun Ceremony
The spiritual summit of the celebrations, in the presence of the cult's highest dignitaries. Most visitors pass through it without measuring its weight, you will know exactly what is playing out in front of you.
The international stage
Past editions have brought Ouidah's beach alive with Kassav', Sagbohan Danialou, Toofan and the Balé Folclórico da Bahia. Tradition and its diaspora on the same stage, and our guides to connect both stories.
The sacred places
Kpasse's Forest, where King Kpasse turned into a tree to escape his enemies. The Python Temple, dedicated to the God Dan. Places open to everyone, but whose meaning is only given to those who know how to listen.
FRABO · The exceptional encounter
"You do not consult the Fa to find out if you'll be rich. You consult it to understand which energy, blocked within you, is keeping wealth from flowing. And above all, which precise action, which offering, which change, will release it. It is a diagnosis, not a horoscope."
The Fraternity of Bokonons, Babalawos and Olouwos, direct heirs and recognized guardians of the Fa, hosts an exclusive talk for our participants around this ancestral science. This is not access to a closed rite: it is a rare dialogue with those who still carry, day to day, the torch of this tradition.
Hounon Agbessi Avlessi W. Bertian, General Delegate, After Vodundays
Why travel with ONG Wa Afriki rather than an agency?
The government organizes.
We explain.
The Beninese state builds the setting, funds the stages, secures the crowds. What the institutional framework cannot cover is the depth. Our Vodun-certified accompanying guides, trained alongside the FRABO, historians and tradition-guardians, close that gap during the walks, the pauses, the trips between two sites. Why Ouidah is the world cradle of Vodun when Allada and Abomey could claim that title too. What a Zangbeto outing means. Why a given ritual happens at a given hour. That is where Ouidah's streets get told.
The Modern Pilgrim
Search for meaning · Spiritual connection · Return to the essential
Intimate ceremonies · Time for meditation · Dialogue with elders
The Cultural Explorer
Artistic discovery · Human encounters · Hands-on learning
Craft workshops · Private concerts · Traditional cooking
The Identity Seeker
Identity reconstruction · Connection to ancestors · Family transmission
Guided genealogy · Talking circles · Memorial rituals
"We can offer you this depth because we come from this land. Our team is led by heirs of the traditions, supported by local elders. We are not intermediaries, we are guides toward the future of Vodun."
Hounon Agbessi Avlessi W. Bertian, General Delegate, After Vodundays
How does the After Vodundays stay unfold?
3 days.
Three defining moments.
We also welcome participants from late December, to discover Benin from north to south before the January influx. Full guidance by ONG Wa Afriki's Vodun-certified guides.
BEFORE THE PROGRAM · OPTIONAL
December 30 to January 3
Year-end at the Palais d'Agondji, for those who want to stay longer
On the 30th, welcome at Cotonou airport, settling in at the Palais d'Agondji and a welcome dinner: nobody has to arrive on this day. On the 31st, year-end rituals at the Palais d'Agondji, a time of remembrance and rebirth through baths and offerings, open to those who wish to take part, then a vigil to cross into the new year in a small group. On January 1, first steps in the city. On the 2nd, Ouidah before the crowd, a stroll along the lagoon and meetings with the artisans. On the 3rd, rituals for the start of the year by prior registration, exchanges with the elders and notables, and an evening of folk groups, ballets and artistic tableaux.
Phase 1 · Before the official core
January 4 to 6
The Palais d'Agondji, Ganvié, Cotonou
On the 4th, welcome at Cotonou airport and settling into residence at the Palais d'Agondji. On the 5th, workshop 1, local language and customs, under the mango trees of the Palace, then Ganvié and a night on Lake Nokoué. On the 6th, Cotonou in the morning, workshop 2 on the Fa at 3 pm, and in the evening “Warm-up Vodun Days” in Ouidah lit up.
Phase 1 · Official core
January 7 to 9
The official Vodun Days, the national heart
On the 7th, the in-depth memorial circuit, from Savi to the Door of No Return. On the 8th, the Vodun circuit, private meetings and exchanges with crowned heads and sworn guardians of Vodun, then the Grand Ceremony. On the 9th, the heritage circuit: Ouidah's quarters, the Portuguese Fort, the basilica, the Afro-Brazilian architecture. Full guided assistance at the official Vodun Days sites across the three days.
Phase 1 · After Party Exclusive
January 10
The grand finale
The royal palaces of Ouidah, then a meeting and exchanges with His Majesty, his royal court and the Grand Conseil Vodun Hwendo, with the crowned heads, researchers and historians, on the theme “Why Ouidah is the world cradle of Vodun”. The Story of January 10: His Majesty himself tells the origin of this date, first the homage of a family to its ancestors gone to sea, then the celebration of a whole people. In the evening, the Vodun Vibes evening, a festive close.
Phase 2 · Optional extension
January 11 to 14
Togo and Ghana, or historic Benin
Option A, Togo and Ghana: Togoville and Lomé, the Kloto mountains, an evening flight to Accra, Safari Valley, then Accra, where you leave from on the 14th. Option B, historic Benin and the royal cities: Allada and Abomey, Porto-Novo, Grand-Popo, then back to Cotonou for the flight on the 14th.
Standard or VIP
In VIP (teams of 5): lodging, meals and transport fully included, from the first day to the last. In Standard (teams of 10): all-inclusive too at the Agondji Palace, lodging in an equipped tent, meals and local transport, with three staff members per team. ONG Wa Afriki-certified guides either way.
Booking recommended 3 months ahead · Limited availability
What to visit in Ouidah beyond the festival?
Beyond the festival:
the Slave Route.
Ouidah is, at once, two things history tried to keep apart: the spiritual capital of Vodun AND the most active port of the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century. These two realities cannot be separated. The Vodun Days sit inside that tension, and that is precisely what gives them their unmatched depth.
The Slave Route (UNESCO-listed) links the city to the coast over 4 kilometers, ending at the Door of No Return, a monument facing the Atlantic, the symbolic starting point of return for the Afro-descendant diaspora. The Fa, the Zangbeto, the Egungun you will see in January in Ouidah's streets, are the very same forces that Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candomblé and Cuban Santería preserved thousands of miles away, for centuries.
Travelling to the Vodun Days from the United States or Canada?
Vodun Days is also a homecoming.
Three pages to read before you come.
Beninese citizenship
Since Law 2024-31, descendants of Africans deported during the transatlantic slave trade can apply for Beninese nationality online, on myafroorigins.bj, for a 100 US dollar processing fee. No trip with us speeds up or influences the decision of the Beninese state.
The Clotilda and Africatown
The Clotilda, the last known slave ship to reach the United States, anchored off Ouidah on May 15, 1860. In May 2026, Cassandra Lewis, a descendant of Kossola, received Beninese nationality under Law 2024-31.
Your DNA says Benin & Togo
Benin & Togo is a region, not a country: Fon, Ewe, Adja, Mina, Yoruba, with Ouidah at its centre. Your results can be one piece of a citizenship file, not a guarantee.
Before you book: an e-Visa on evisa.bj at least 7 days before arrival, a service contract, and a deposit (30% Standard, 50% VIP) fully refundable for 30 days on bookings made more than 60 days before departure. The Pact of Ouidah →
How to prepare your stay for the Vodun Days?
Logistics guide.
What no one tells you.
Behind the event, a state that invests: a 1 billion CFA franc organizational budget in 2026, a security setup certified by INStaD, and a national target of 2 million international visitors by 2030. Here is what that means concretely for your stay.
Lodging: plan ahead or pay the price
Hotel saturation is documented. During the Vodun Days, accommodation prices in Ouidah multiply by 4 to 5, and serious establishments book out 3 to 6 months before the event. Our partner accommodations are reserved first for After Vodundays participants, one more reason to secure your place early.
See accommodations →Transport and mobility: managing the flow to the coast
The Route des Pêches, a flagship project of Benin's government action plan, is transforming connectivity between Cotonou and Ouidah. Our participants are taken care of from the airport onward: no independent navigation to manage.
How transport is organized →Security: a model of crowd management
740,668 people in January 2026 with a 99.8% security satisfaction rate, that figure deserves to be named. It is the result of a state-run setup deployed across the whole municipality. Benin has developed event-management expertise that few African countries have reached at this scale.
ONG Wa Afriki on the ground →Can you stay in Benin after the Vodun Days?
The festival lasts a week.
What we offer lasts 365.
You are not simply coming for a tourist stay. You are coming for a transmission. ONG Wa Afriki N°0108/MISP takes you where a travel agency does not know how to. The Bokonons of the FRABO N°030/MISP explain what the festival does not tell you.
Standard / VIP, Vodun Days
Three formulas from January 2 to 14, from €750, official core on January 7, 8 and 9. Teams of 10 (Standard) or 5 (VIP), the depth the Vodun Days only show on the surface, explained, lived, transmitted by ONG Wa Afriki N°0108/MISP and its certified Vodun guides.
Discover →Cercle, Circuit 365
For those who want Ouidah over a longer stretch of time, outside the Vodun Days. A spiritual anchoring lasting several weeks. Formation, initiation, transmission. The Vodun calendar, not the tourist calendar.
Discover →Souverain, Custom
For families, established groups, institutions. A program built around your goals, ancestral reconnection, private ceremony, video documentation, formation.
Discover →How to book your stay for the Vodun Days?
Tell us what you want to experience.
We take care of the rest.
Before, during or after the Vodun Days, describe your project, your dates, your group. Someone from the team answers you personally, not a bot. No agency can reproduce what ONG Wa Afriki has built in Ouidah: a network of trust woven over generations, and a reading of it that only the heirs of this land can pass on. Your presence directly supports the families, guides and artisans, paid without middlemen. And if you are still unsure, read what participants say about their experience.
Vodun Days 2027: your questions
When is Vodun Days 2027?
From Saturday January 2 to Saturday January 9, 2027, in Ouidah, Benin. The Grand Ceremony is on Friday January 8, and January 7 and 8 are public holidays.
The verified 2027 dates →Where do I buy official Vodun Days tickets?
The official programme, tickets and the official campsite are published by the Beninese state on vodundays.bj. After Vodundays does not sell festival tickets: we host travellers in Ouidah before, during and after the festival.
What is the difference between Vodun Days and After Vodundays?
Vodun Days is the national festival organised by the Beninese state. After Vodundays is the hosting programme of ONG Wa Afriki, from January 4 to 14, 2027, 11 days and 10 nights, with an optional year-end stay at the Palais d'Agondji, December 30 to January 3, which receives travellers with families and guardians of tradition in Ouidah.
The After Vodundays programme →Do I need a visa to attend Vodun Days?
Travellers with an African passport enter Benin without a visa for 90 days. Other nationalities apply online for an e-Visa on the official platform evisa.bj, at least 7 days before arrival.
Benin visa, step by step →Is it safe to attend Vodun Days?
Ouidah is in the south of Benin, where governments ask for increased caution but do not advise against travel. The 2026 edition gathered 740,668 participants a month after the December 2025 coup attempt was put down.
Safety in Benin, zone by zone →Where should I stay in Ouidah for Vodun Days?
Book early: in January, accommodation prices in Ouidah rise sharply and the serious places fill up three to six months ahead. We tell you honestly what is still available.
Where to stay →