Panama
Panama City in May
🌧️ Rainy seasonHot, humid and very wet.
🎒 Pack: light, breathable clothes & sunscreen · compact umbrella or rain jacket · quick-dry fabrics
Why May scores 7.6What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort6.0
- ✓Hot (32°C highs / 23°C lows)
- !Very humid/sticky (dew point 24°C)
- !Wet: ~222 mm rain, ~6 heavy-rain days
- Air quality9.6
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~8 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards9.5
- !Flood: ~6 heavy-rain days in an average May
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| May | Jan | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.6 Very good | 8.7 Excellent |
| Season | 🌧️ Rainy season | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 32° / 23° | 32° / 21° |
| Rain | 222 mm | 24 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 24° | dew pt 22° |
| PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ | 6 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Panama City weather-station normals. Rainfall: Panama City weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
Other public holidays: Labor Day (1 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore Panama CityEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyPanama's capital, a high-rise city on the Pacific beside the Panama Canal, with a restored colonial quarter and rainforest parks within city limits.
No major events on our calendar for May.
Coming up later
Fiestas PatriasEvery year3–4 November every year, with other holidays later in November
National holidays with school marching bands and parades.
Why go: Roads close for parades and many businesses shut.
Where: Avenida Balboa, Casco Viejo and citywide
Panama Jazz FestivalDate variesUsually January
A jazz festival with concerts and education programmes.
Why go: Some concerts are free and outdoors.
Where: Venues across the city including Casco Viejo
CarnavalDate variesThe four days before Ash Wednesday — usually February or early March
Parades, music and water-spraying celebrations.
Why go: Many residents leave for the countryside and businesses close.
Where: Cinta Costera, with bigger celebrations in the Azuero Peninsula
Miraflores Locks
A visitor centre with viewing decks over Panama Canal locks, close to the city.
💡 Check the transit schedule; large ships usually pass at certain times of day.
Casco Viejo
The UNESCO-listed old quarter with restored colonial buildings, plazas, churches and rooftop bars.
Panamá Viejo
Ruins of the original 16th-century city, sacked by Henry Morgan in 1671, with a museum and tower.
Biomuseo
A brightly coloured museum designed by Frank Gehry about the isthmus's role in biodiversity.
Amador Causeway
A causeway linking small islands at the canal entrance, popular for walking and cycling.
Metropolitan Natural Park
A rainforest park inside the city with trails, sloths and birds.
Sancocho
Chicken soup with ñame root and culantro, Panama's national dish.
Ceviche
Raw fish or seafood cured in lime juice.
💡 Mercado de Mariscos fish market
Patacones
Twice-fried green plantain slices.
Carimañolas
Fried yuca rolls filled with meat.
Raspao
Shaved ice with syrup and condensed milk sold from street carts.
Molas
Layered, hand-stitched textile panels made by Guna women.
Panamanian coffee
Highland coffee from Chiriquí, including the prized Geisha variety.
Tagua carvings
Small figures carved from tagua nut by Emberá and Wounaan artisans.
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
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