The processions
The convents come out, the drums take the street, and the whole town moves. You follow, you step aside, you watch — and you photograph only what you are allowed to photograph.
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- Vodun Days
2 – 9 January 2027 · Ouidah, Benin
The Vodun Days, when Ouidah becomes the centre of the world.
Every January, Benin celebrates its endogenous religions and Ouidah is the heart of it. The 4th edition runs from 2 to 9 January 2027: eight days, against three for previous editions. The main vodun ceremony follows on 10 January, a national public holiday. Processions, drums, open convents, the diaspora home again.
—Days
—Hours
—Minutes
—Seconds
Countdown set to the opening, 2 January 2027 in Ouidah. The main vodun ceremony falls on 10 January.
What happens
Three days like nothing else.
Vodun is not folklore and it is not a show: it is a living religion, practised. You attend on the terms of those who receive you, and Tony explains them beforehand.
The encounters
This is the time of year the diaspora comes home. Ouidah fills with people from Brazil, Haiti, the United States, Nigeria. The conversations that start there are worth the trip on their own.
The town, transformed
The Python Temple, the Slave Route and the Door of No Return are walked in an entirely different frame of mind during these days. We keep time to come back to them in the quiet.
How we run it
The journey folds around the event.
If your dates fall in January, we set the itinerary so you are in Ouidah at the right moment, without sacrificing the rest: Cotonou, Ganvié and Abomey stay on the programme, simply redistributed.
Accommodation in Ouidah is the bottleneck: the town fills up. That is why we ask you to book several months ahead — not to rush you, but because the rooms are simply gone after that.
- Accommodation held in Ouidah for the event
- Procession schedule explained in advance
- Respect and photography rules given beforehand
- Quiet time set aside for the Slave Route
Next step
January 2027, in Ouidah
January places go first. Just tell us you are aiming for that window: we will reply with what is left, honestly.
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