Opening hours
Standard opening hours , where there are any, follow familiar patterns. In larger towns, the major stores and tourist services will be open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5 or 6pm, often with a break for lunch. Offices and museums open at similar times, though offices will usually be closed on Saturdays. In rural areas and out in the bush, small shops can be open at almost any hour, and may double as hotelis or chai kiosks.

In Muslim areas, opening hours will vary during Ramadan , when eating places may be closed during the day, while shops and businesses will close in time for sunset, to break the daily fast.

Bank opening hours in cities are Mon-Fri 9am-3pm, and on Saturdays (or sometimes just the first and last Saturday of the month) 9-11am. Larger post offices usually open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm, with smaller ones, especially in rural areas, open Mon-Fri 8am-12.30pm & 2-5pm.

Public holidays
 

1 Jan	New Year's Day
Mar-April (movable)	Good Friday
Mar-April (movable)	Easter Monday
10 Dhu'l Hijja (see below)	Tabaski
1 May	Labour Day
1 June	Madaraka Day (celebrating 1960 granting of self-government)
10 Oct	Moi Day
20 Oct	Kenyatta Day (anniversary of his imprisonment)
1 Shawwal (see below)	Id ul Fitr
12 Dec	Jamhuri (Independence) Day
25 Dec	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Boxing Day
Note: if a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is usually declared a public holiday.

The Islamic calendar
On the coast, throughout the northeast, and in Muslim communities everywhere, the lunar Islamic calendar is used for religious purposes. The Muslim year has 354 days, with 355 days eleven times every thirty years, so dates recede against the Western calendar by an average of eleven days each year. Only the month of fasting called Ramadan , and Id ul Fitr - the feast of relief at the end of it which begins on the first sighting of the new moon - will have much effect on your travels. During Ramadan, most stores and hotelis are closed through the daylight hours in smaller towns in Islamic districts. Public transport and official business continue as usual. Maulidi , the celebration of the prophet's birthday, is worth catching if you're on the coast at the right time, especially if you'll be in Lamu.

Agricultural shows
The annual agricultural shows put on by the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) are lively, revealing occasions, borrowing a lot from the British farming show tradition, but infused with Kenyan style. As well as stock and produce competitions, and the usual beer and snack tents, there are often some less expected booths: women's groups, family planning, beekeeping, soil conservation and herbalism. Large towns have an ASK fairground (sometimes reasonable places to camp, incidentally) and the shows happen at roughly the same time each year. Many smaller towns have annual district shows as well.