Travel advisory, as of October 2026. Lalibela is in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where the UK FCDO advises against all travel and the US government tells its citizens not to travel. Fighting has resumed across northern Ethiopia, flights to Lalibela have been suspended since 24 September 2026 with no restart date announced, and there is no safe overland route. Nothing described here can be booked now; this page describes the town for a future visit once advisories change. Read the FCDO advice and the US State Department before making any plans.

Festivals and Events in Lalibela, Ethiopia

These are pilgrim festivals, listed for their dates only and not as an invitation to travel. Do not plan around them until advisories change.

1. Genna (Ethiopian Christmas): Thursday 7 January 2027. Lalibela’s population swells several-fold at Genna.
2. Timkat (Epiphany): Tuesday 19 January 2027, with the eve procession on Monday 18 January. The Tabot, a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, is carried in procession.

Conduct

The churches are active, consecrated places of worship, not backdrops. Shoes come off at every church. Cover shoulders and knees, men wear long trousers, and women cover their heads. Keep quiet, do not touch the carvings, use no flash during prayer, and ask before any photo. Women may not enter Biete Golgotha.