Weather and tourism:
People
travel to Gibraltar all twelve months of the year, with the high season
starting in June and continuing through August. The shoulder seasons
are the best in terms of pricing, and these coincide with April and May
and September through November.
The weather in Gibraltar tends
to be sunnier from June to September, with average highs in the upper
70s to mid-80s Fahrenheit. Temperatures can and do rise above 90
degrees, although the sea breezes that pass over the peninsula
regulates temperatures somewhat. Winters are mild, with highs in the
low 60s; it is also the rainy season, although there is typically an
average of five hours of sunlight each day. The wettest month of the
year is December, and it becomes progressively drier through the winter
and spring. Bet on complete sunshine in the month of July; average
rainfall in July is a mere 0.04 inches. December, the rainiest month,
receives approximately six inches of rain for the whole month. Low
temperatures range from the upper 60s to near 70 in summertime to
around 50 in the winter.
Official list of observed holidays in the Gibraltar British Overseas Territory:
January 1: New Year's Day
Second Monday in March: Commonwealth Day
Friday before Easter (March or April): Good Friday
March or April: Easter Monday
First week of May: May Day/Labour Day
Last Monday in May: Spring Bank Holiday
Last Monday in August: Summer Bank Holiday
September 10: Gibraltar National Day, commemorating the 1967
referendum that rejected Spanish rule in favor of self-government under
British rule.
December 26: Boxing Day
In addition to these official holidays, Gibraltar also observes the following holidays peninsula-wide:
April 28: Workers' Memorial Day
Third Monday in June: The Queen's Official Birthday
December 25: Christmas Day
Festivals in Gibraltar:
January 6: The Three Kings Cavalcade, honoring the Epiphany
January-February: The Gibraltar Chess Festival, one of the top chess festivals in the world
September: The Gibraltar Song Festival, open to entrants from all over the world
December 26: The Polar Bear Swim in Catalan Bay