Meskel is the Ethiopian Orthodox feast of the Finding of the True Cross, celebrated on 27 September in most years (28 September in 2027), with a giant bonfire called the Demera lit at dusk the evening before. It is one of the biggest days in the Orthodox year and the easiest major festival for a visitor to see, because its centrepiece takes place in the middle of Addis Ababa.

The word meskel means cross. The feast comes about two weeks after the Ethiopian New Year, as the rains end and the yellow adey abeba daisies flower across the highlands. Those flowers, and fire, are its two great symbols.

If you are in Addis for Meskel, the hard part is not finding the celebration but getting to and from it through closed roads and huge crowds. That is where a private driver who knows the city helps most.

What is Meskel celebrating?

Church tradition says that in the fourth century Empress Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, was searching for the cross of Christ in Jerusalem. In a dream she was told to build a bonfire; she added frankincense, and the smoke rose and came down over the spot where the cross was buried. The Demera bonfire recalls that moment.

Meskel is also a family and community occasion, and it has been on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2013. Reconciliation is at its heart: quarrels are meant to be settled before the feast, and many people who work in the cities go home to their families for it.

When is Meskel in 2026, 2027 and 2028?

Meskel is fixed on 17 Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar. The Ethiopian calendar adds its leap day at the end of the year, so in the year before a Gregorian leap year the Ethiopian New Year falls on 12 September instead of 11 September, and Meskel moves from 27 to 28 September with it.

• 2026: Demera on the evening of Saturday 26 September; Meskel on Sunday 27 September (already celebrated).
• 2027: Demera on the evening of Monday 27 September; Meskel on Tuesday 28 September.
• 2028: by the same calendar rule, Demera on the evening of Tuesday 26 September and Meskel on Wednesday 27 September.

What happens at the Demera in Meskel Square?

Meskel Square is the huge open space in central Addis where the city holds its biggest gatherings. On the eve of Meskel tens of thousands of people fill it. Priests, deacons and Sunday School choirs process, chant and dance in front of a tall cone of wooden poles decorated with green grass and adey abeba.

Church leaders and government officials give speeches, and as darkness falls the Demera is set alight. Some people watch where the smoke drifts and how the pile collapses, reading it as a sign for the year ahead. Afterwards, the faithful use charcoal from the fire to mark a small cross on their foreheads. On Meskel day itself the feast carries on in churches and homes, with special food and visits to family and friends.

In 2026 the Addis ceremony took place on the evening of 26 September, with senior clergy, government officials and diplomats as well as crowds of worshippers and tourists. Speakers called for national harmony at a time of renewed fighting in the north of the country.

Is Meskel only celebrated in Addis Ababa?

No. Meskel Square hosts the largest and most formal event, but Demera fires are also lit at churches, in villages and in family compounds across Ethiopia. If you are staying with friends or relatives, there may be a smaller Demera in their neighbourhood, which can be a more personal way to see it.

Travel to parts of the north, including Amhara and Tigray, isn't advised right now (see the note below). For visitors in 2026 and 2027, Addis Ababa is the practical place to see Meskel, and the capital's big Demera is the one most people come for anyway.

How do you watch Meskel in Addis Ababa?

1. Go early. The procession builds through the afternoon, and the best viewpoints fill well before the fire is lit.
2. Expect road closures. In 2026 roads leading to Meskel Square were congested or closed from 26 September, with extra police checkpoints and vehicle searches around the city. Plan to walk the last stretch.
3. Agree a meeting point. It is easy to lose each other in a crowd this size. Fix a pickup spot away from the square before you go in.
4. Travel light. Carry a phone, a little cash and a warm layer, and keep bags zipped and in front of you. Pickpocketing is common in busy tourist places.
5. Dress respectfully. This is a religious service, so modest clothes that cover shoulders and knees are best.
6. Photograph with care. Wide shots of the crowd and the fire are normal. Ask before taking close-ups of priests or individuals.
7. Expect a public holiday. Meskel is a national holiday, so many offices and shops close on the day itself.

How do you get to and from Meskel Square on Demera evening?

Taxis are scarce and roads around the square are closed, so the evening usually ends with a long walk looking for a ride. The easiest way is to book a driver for the evening. Our drivers drop you as close as the closures allow, agree a pickup point with you away from the crowds, and drive you back to your hotel once the fire is lit. You can add a lunch stop or a visit elsewhere in the city earlier in the day with a driver by the day.

What else is happening around Meskel time?

Meskel opens Ethiopia's festival season. Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, comes about two weeks earlier (11 September in 2026, 12 September in 2027). The next big dates are Genna, Ethiopian Christmas, on 7 January 2027, and Timkat, Epiphany, on 19 January 2027, with its eve (Ketera) on 18 January.