Dili is hot and sticky year-round (daytime 28–32°C) and has two clear seasons.
Dry season (May to November) is the best time to visit. Skies are clear, the diving is at its best (visibility regularly above 30 metres), and the surrounding hills turn brown and dusty. Nights are pleasant by Dili standards.
Wet season (December to April) brings heavy afternoon downpours and humidity that rarely drops below 80 percent. Roads outside the city wash out and trips to the south coast or up to the mountains become difficult. The diving is still good in the lee of the headlands.
Independence Day, 20 May — the city's biggest annual event, with parades, speeches, and music on the seafront. Rooms in Dili book out a week in advance.
Pope John Paul II's visit on 12 October is commemorated every year with services at the cathedral, in memory of his 1989 visit which gave the independence movement international visibility.