Vodun Days · Ouidah, Benin

Vodun Days 2027 programme, day by day

Vodun Days 2027 extends from 2 to 9 January in Ouidah, official core on January 7, 8 and 9, Grand Ceremony on Friday 8. The After Vodundays programme runs from December 30 to January 16: a progressive immersion before the official core, a deepening period after.

Verified on 10 August 2026

Statutory-holiday regime verified against law no. 2024-32 of 2 September 2024: the second Friday of January 2027 falls on the 8th, unchanged. Extension of the festival to a full week (2-9 January) confirmed by the Beninese government in early August 2026. Next check when the official programme is published by the Beninese state.

Compiled by the After Vodundays team, in Ouidah.

Day by day, December 30 to January 16

  1. Welcome in Cotonou, settling in at Ouidah, the very first bearings. Not the journey itself yet: the moment you stop being in transit.

    • Welcome at Cotonou airport and accompanied transfer to Ouidah.
    • Settling in and first contact with the team.
    • Welcome dinner, presentation of the programme.

  2. A year-end night the town does not live like other places do. Away from the large tourist celebrations, a time of quiet observance and passage, on the scale of those who seek it.

    • Free day, time to settle in.
    • An evening marking the turn of the year in the local custom, in a small gathering.
    • A moment lived with restraint, not a show staged for visitors.

  3. The day after a night that matters. Nothing is rushed: a day to find your footing before the week picks up pace.

    • Orientation tour of Ouidah, practical bearings.
    • Free time.
    • Team dinner, presentation of the ritual days ahead.

  4. A day to discover the town at your own pace, before the buzz of the official core picks up.

    • An unhurried first look at Ouidah: the beach, the Slave Route, a first contact with the town.
    • Free time, settling in.
    • Informal evening gathering, questions and answers with the team about the week ahead.

  5. The Vodun calendar has its own customs for opening the year. This day is set aside for them, for those who wish to take part, by prior registration.

    • Time set aside for the practices proper to this point in the Vodun calendar.
    • Participation by registration, guided by the tradition-guardian families.
    • Not a show: a time the guardians share with discernment.

  6. The last days before the official core, for depth rather than pace.

    • Visits to convents and artisan workshops.
    • Free time, settling into the town's rhythm.
    • Evening gathering with the group.

  7. The last quiet stretch before the three official days pick up.

    • Bearings on the sites to be visited during the official core.
    • Free time.
    • Team briefing for the three days ahead.

  8. The day that separates arrival from truly entering Ouidah. It looks like nothing and it changes everything: you do not discover a sacred city by stepping off a plane.

    • Welcome at Cotonou airport and accompanied transfer to Ouidah.
    • Introduction to the Fon language and to local usage: the words that open doors, and those one does not say.
    • Free walk through the town as it prepares, before the crowds arrive.
    • Evening gathering around the fire, meeting the guides and the team.

  9. First official day, a public holiday in Benin. Before understanding the ceremonies, you have to understand the ground they take place on.

    • Historic circuit of Ouidah with our certified Vodun guides.
    • The places that give meaning to everything else: the Auction Square, the Slave Route, the Door of No Return.
    • Official opening of the Vodun Days across the town.
    • Evening debrief: what you saw, and what the scene does not say.

  10. The second Friday of January, set by law no. 2024-32. This is the day the whole nation observes, in the presence of the high dignitaries of the cult.

    • The Grand Vodun Ceremony, with dignitaries and delegations present.
    • Vodun circuit and dialogue with the guarantors of the tradition.
    • Sacred outings through the streets of old Ouidah: Zangbeto, Egungun, Hounvè.
    • Evening debrief: who came out, why at that hour, and what each movement means.

  11. The last official day moves to the shore, where the memory of the slave trade and the celebration meet without merging.

    • National Day on the beach of Ouidah.
    • International stage: the tradition and its diaspora on the same platform.
    • Encounters with the convents and collectivities present.
    • Last evening debrief of the official core.

  12. This is the day our participants mention most in their accounts. The sites empty, and what stayed closed during the crowds opens a little.

    • Gléxwé circuit and visit to the royal palaces of Ouidah.
    • Conversations with the crowned heads, away from the cameras.
    • Vodun Vibes evening: traditional ballets, Gangan orchestra, DJ sets.
    • Closing, and the opening onto what follows for those who stay longer.

  13. Once the official core is over and most visitors have left, the pace changes. This time is reserved for participants in the complete programme.

    • In-depth workshops with the FRABO: the Fa, the language, the crafts.
    • Meetings with researchers and with the guardian families of the tradition.
    • A freer pace, to come back to what was seen and lived.
    • Close of the programme on Saturday 16 January.

The precise timings of the official ceremonies are published by the Beninese state as the event approaches. We update this page as soon as they appear, rather than putting forward a schedule no one can yet guarantee.

Who accompanies you

Operator

ONG Wa Afriki, N°0108/MISP, registered in Benin. A community contribution, included in the price, directly funds Ouidah's families and artisans.

Guidance

Certified Vodun guides, trained alongside the FRABO N°030/MISP, historians and the guarantors of the tradition. Teams of 10 in Standard, of 5 in VIP.

Commitment

The Pact of Ouidah frames your booking. Your place is secured, and the commitment remains reversible under its terms.

About ONG Wa Afriki →

Frequently asked questions

What are the exact dates of Vodun Days 2027?

Vodun Days 2027 extends over a full week, from 2 to 9 January in Ouidah, against three days in previous editions. Law no. 2024-32 of 2 September 2024 sets the National Day of traditional religions on the second Friday of January and the Thursday preceding it, namely 7 and 8 January 2027: this statutory-holiday regime stays unchanged, the extension to seven days is a separate government decision, confirmed in early August 2026. The After Vodundays programme itself runs from December 30 to January 16.

Do you need to arrive on 4 January?

It is not required, and yet it is the stretch we recommend most. 4 and 5 January are for arriving, finding your bearings, learning the few words of Fon that change the welcome you receive, and seeing Ouidah before the crowds arrive. Those who skip them enter the ceremonies without a key to read them.

What exactly happens on 8 January?

8 January is the statutory day, the one set by law. It is the Grand Ceremony, in the presence of the high dignitaries of the cult and of the delegations. It is also the day when sacred outings multiply through the streets of old Ouidah. Most visitors pass through it without measuring its weight: that is precisely where our guides come in.

Can you attend the ceremonies without a guide?

Yes. The official sites are public and the Beninese state deploys a considerable reception system there. The question is not access, it is understanding. Without someone to tell you who has come out, why at that hour and what each movement means, you will see a spectacle where something else is taking place.

Is 10 January included?

10 January is optional and falls outside the official calendar. It is also the day our participants mention most in their accounts: the sites empty, the royal palaces open, and conversations with the crowned heads happen without cameras. The Vodun Vibes evening closes the festive days; the complete programme continues until Saturday 16 January.

Places are counted in teams, not in seats.

Our teams are deliberately limited to ten people in Standard and five in VIP. Once formed, they do not grow. That is what allows a guide to speak to you, rather than keep watch over you.

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