The union of Oromo Abbaa Gadaas has set this year’s Irreecha for Meskerem 23 and 24 — Hora Finfinne first, Bishoftu the next day. Addis Abeba police say preparations for the Meskel Demera are also complete.

This year’s Irreecha will be observed on Meskerem 23 and 24 on the Ethiopian calendar — 3 and 4 October — the union of Oromo Abbaa Gadaas has announced. Hora Finfinne, in Finfinne, is marked on the 23rd; Hora Harsadi, at Bishoftu, on the 24th. The union has framed this year’s observance around national consensus.

Separately, Lt. Gen. Asrat Denero, head of the Addis Abeba Police Commission, said preparations are complete for the Meskel Demera to be observed in the capital. He described the arrangements as coordinated between the Addis Abeba Peace and Security Office, the city’s assembly of religious institutions, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Addis Abeba diocesan office and city police.

A note on the date, because the translation gets it wrong

Amharic reports of this announcement are routinely rendered into English as “September 23 and 24”. The original says Meskerem 23 and 24, which is the Ethiopian calendar’s first month. Meskerem 1 of 2019 E.C. fell on 11 September 2026, so Meskerem 23 and 24 are 3 and 4 October 2026 — a fortnight later than the machine translation implies.

If a calendar, a delivery schedule or a staff roster in your organisation was built from an English-language feed, it is worth checking which date it took.

What businesses in the capital should plan for

Two mass public observances land inside two weeks, both centred on Addis Abeba, with the second spilling into Bishoftu on the Sunday.

• Road closures and diverted transport around Meskel Square and, on 3 October, the Hora Finfinne site.
• The Bishoftu leg on 4 October draws heavy outbound traffic on the road southeast — relevant to anyone routing freight or staff that way.
• Staffing. Both observances draw employees out of the capital as well as into it.

Open

Neither announcement carried road-closure details, security arrangements or a crowd estimate, and the city has not published a traffic plan for either day. The Meskel Demera date was not stated in the police commission’s remarks as reported.

Sources: Fana Television, 22 September 2026, Fana Television, 22 September 2026, Tikvah Ethiopia, 22 September 2026