Tabaski (Eid al-Adha) in Dakar: practical guide

Tabaski, known elsewhere as Eid al-Adha, is the biggest day of the year in Dakar. Offices empty, the city fills with sheep, charcoal smoke and new boubous, and everything depends on what you organise in the two weeks before. Whether you are visiting, home from the diaspora or newly settled, here is how to handle the sheep, the outfits, the closures and getting around.

Buying the sheep

Three to four weeks ahead, temporary sheep markets appear along the VDN, at the Foire grounds and on open ground across Parcelles Assainies, Pikine, Guédiawaye, Keur Massar and Rufisque. Outlying livestock markets are cheaper than sale points in residential areas such as Point E, Mermoz or the Almadies, where transport and overnight guarding are built into the price.

• Common sheep fall roughly in the 150,000 to 400,000 FCFA range, with prized ladoum rams far higher.
• Prices spike in the final three days. Buying early saves money but means feeding the animal.
• Budget the extras: moving the sheep by cart or pick-up, feed, straw, and the butcher on the day.
• Always haggle, and bring someone who can judge an animal: teeth, hindquarters, no limping.

If you are new to Senegal, go with a Senegalese neighbour. The opening price genuinely changes depending on who is asking.

Clothes: tailor, ready-to-wear or second-hand

Everyone wears something new, and children are dressed first.

Tailors give you the real thing, an embroidered grand boubou, but your fabric must be dropped off at least three weeks ahead. After that, workshops around Sacré-Coeur, Liberté 6, Ouakam and Yoff are swamped and delays are the rule. Making-up costs run from about 10,000 to 60,000 FCFA depending on embroidery.

Ready-to-wear shops in the Plateau and the Almadies malls dress a whole family in one afternoon, shoes included: the realistic option for late arrivals.

Second-hand markets, above all Colobane, are where shirts, jackets and shoes go cheaply. Go early in the morning and keep your phone in a zipped pocket.

Closures and shopping

On Tabaski day and the day after, Dakar slows to a crawl:

• Banks, government offices and most workplaces are closed on the day and often the day after.
• Supermarkets close early the evening before and open late or not at all on the day.
• Corner shops open on and off for charcoal and soft drinks.
• Restaurants in Ngor, Yoff and the Almadies stay open with skeleton staff.

Do the heavy shopping three days ahead: onions, potatoes, oil, charcoal, spices. Charcoal and onions run short first. Withdraw cash early too, as ATMs run dry.

Getting around

In the two days before the feast, the roads towards Pikine, Guédiawaye and Keur Massar are jammed, as is the exit towards Diamniadio. Bus stations fill with people travelling home to Touba, Kaolack or Ziguinchor.

• Book intercity bus seats several days ahead, as fares rise and departures fill up.
• On the day, taxis are scarce in the morning, then expensive once the visits begin.
• Ride-hailing apps apply surge pricing. Walking between two nearby houses is often faster.
• The Plateau is deserted in the morning and workable again after lunch.

Emergency numbers: 17 for police, 18 for the fire service, 1515 for medical emergencies.

If you are a guest

The golden rule: never refuse a plate. Expect several households in one day, each serving its share of grilled mutton. Bring fruit or drinks for your hosts. Children go door to door asking for their small gift, the ndeweneul, so keep coins on you. Dress modestly if you join the family for the morning prayer, and plan nothing else that day.

Recommended addresses on SeneFinder

• Boutique Rassoul Friperie : Colobane
• Complexe Garmi : Dakar
• Gemo Dakar Chaussures Et Vêtements : Dakar
• Maternita Dakar : Sicap Liberté
• Maternita Liberté 5b : Dakar
• NOVA : Plateau

To browse further by neighborhood and category, you can see all addresses.

Useful tools

• Route planner : map out a round of family visits between Mermoz, Sacré-Coeur and Parcelles without losing the afternoon.
• Currency converter : handy for diaspora members sending money towards the sheep.
• Practical guide : emergency numbers, transport and essential information.
• For clothes: the best tailors in Dakar and where to buy wax fabric.

Frequently asked questions

When should I buy the sheep in Dakar?

Two to three weeks before the feast, while prices are still reasonable. In the last three days they climb sharply, particularly in residential neighborhoods.

Are shops open on Tabaski day?

Banks, offices and supermarkets close on the day and often the day after. Only small neighborhood shops open intermittently, so shop about three days ahead.

Can a tailor still make an outfit one week before?

It is a gamble: workshops are overloaded and delays are common. At short notice, go for ready-to-wear or the second-hand markets.