Durian Season in Singapore and Malaysia
When it runs, why the dates move, and how to tell if it's over
June to August
Main season, peaking in July and August
December to February
A smaller second season
Shifts Every Year
Timing follows flowering, which follows the weather
Durian season in Singapore and Malaysia is not one fixed date. It is a window that opens sometime in the middle of the year, closes sometime after, and moves a little in both directions depending on how the flowering went. This page sets out how that window typically works: which months are which, why a second, smaller season shows up later in the year, and how to read where things stand without relying on a calendar the trees do not follow.
If you want to know what is happening this week rather than in general, see our durian season update, which we check and revise through the season. Everything below is the pattern that update sits inside.
Month by month
The table below sets out what a typical year looks like. Treat it as a guide to the shape of the season, not a forecast for any single year: an early flowering can pull the whole window forward by several weeks, and a late one can push it back the same way.
| Month | What's typically happening |
|---|---|
| January | Tail end of the second season in some regions. Supply is thin and prices sit at their highest point of the year. |
| February | Second season mostly finished. A quiet month, with little fresh durian on offer anywhere. |
| March | Off season. Flowering can begin in some regions if the weather turns dry, which sets up the season ahead. |
| April | Off season. Early fruit sometimes appears in Penang in years when flowering started ahead of schedule. |
| May | The lead-up to the main season. First fruit starts to come through, and pre-orders often open. |
| June | Main season begins. Supply builds through the month as more regions come online. |
| July | Peak of the main season in most years, across Pahang, Penang and Johor. |
| August | Peak continues. Pahang, the main source of Musang King, is typically still in full production. |
| September | Main season tapering off. Some regions, and some varieties such as D24, run into this month. |
| October | Main season mostly finished. A quieter stretch before the second season begins. |
| November | Second season can start here in some years, though it more often begins in December. |
| December | Second season underway. Smaller harvest, fewer varieties, and prices rise again. |
Is durian season over?
"Is durian season over" does not have a single yes or no answer, because the season does not end everywhere at once. Selangor typically winds down before Pahang does. Johor and Penang each run to their own pattern. The honest answer is: it depends which part of the window you are asking about.
A few signs the main season is ending, wherever you are. The range of varieties on offer narrows, so a seller who had six or seven types in July is down to two or three. Prices, which fall through the peak as supply is abundant, start climbing again. Sellers begin describing stock as "while supplies last" instead of promising a steady weekly delivery.
None of that means durian disappears. It means the main season has handed over to the quieter stretch before the second season, or to the second season itself. For where things stand at the point you are reading this, our current season update tracks the position region by region and is revised through the year. This page describes the pattern. That page describes right now.
The second season
Outside the June to August peak, Malaysia has a second, smaller durian season, usually running from around December through to February. In some years it starts earlier, in October or November, if a second flowering happens on schedule.
The second season produces less fruit than the main one, and a narrower range of varieties. It is real durian season, not leftovers, but do not expect the volume or the choice of clones you would see in July. Prices also tend to sit higher, since supply is lower and demand around Chinese New Year, which falls inside this window most years, does not let up.
If quantity and variety matter most to you, plan around June to August. If you simply want durian and the calendar happens to say November, the second season will usually still deliver.
Why the dates move
Durian trees do not fruit on a fixed date. They fruit a set stretch after they flower, and flowering itself is triggered by weather, usually a dry spell that stresses the tree into blossom. A hot, dry patch that arrives early pulls flowering forward, and the harvest follows it forward. A wet, mild patch that delays flowering pushes the whole season back.
That is why one year's season can start visibly earlier than the last, and why growers in different states do not always move together. Pahang, Penang and Johor do not always get the same weather at the same time, so their seasons can sit a few weeks apart even within the same year. It is also why nobody in the trade will hand you a fixed calendar date for the season opening. The tree does not keep one either.
Which varieties peak when
Within the season, different clones peak at slightly different points, and knowing the rough order helps if you are trying to catch a specific one at its best.
Musang King
Grown mainly around Raub and Bentong in Pahang, and generally at its best through the main season peak in July and August, tracking the region's own production curve. See the Musang King page for more on the variety itself.
Black Thorn
Grown mainly in Penang. It follows a broadly similar window to Musang King but tracks the Penang crop's own timing, so the two do not always peak in exactly the same week. Details on the Black Thorn page.
D24
Tends to run a little longer than the others, often still available into September after Musang King and Black Thorn have thinned out, which is part of why it is a common choice later in the season.
Everything else
Red Prawn, Golden Phoenix and the rest sit within the same main season window, shifted by their own region and clone. The variety register sets out where each one is grown and what it tastes like.
None of this is a fixed schedule you can set a calendar by. It is a rough order, and a year with unusual weather can compress it or spread it out.
Not sure which durian to order, or when? Our guide to choosing durian walks through picking a variety by taste rather than by name recognition, and the products page shows current stock. For the specific state of the season as of today, the durian season update is checked through the year.
Durian Season Questions
What month is durian season in Singapore and Malaysia?
The main Malaysian season runs roughly from June to August, often continuing into September, with July and August as the peak. There is also a smaller second season from around December to February, sometimes starting as early as October or November. Both seasons supply Singapore, since almost all of the durian sold here is grown across the border in Pahang, Penang and Johor.
Is durian season over?
It depends on which part of the window you mean. The main season typically winds down through September, region by region rather than all at once, and the second season then runs from around December to February. There is no single end date, because different states finish at different times. For the current status, see our durian season update, which tracks the season as it moves.
What durian is in season right now?
That changes week to week within a season, and shifts year to year as the whole window moves earlier or later with the weather. Rather than guess, check our durian season update, which we review through the year and which sets out what is actually coming out of the orchards at the time you read it.
Why does durian season change every year?
Because the trees respond to weather, not a calendar. A durian tree flowers after a spell of dry weather, and the fruit follows the flowering some months later. An early dry spell means early flowering and an early season, a late one pushes the season back, and different growing regions do not always get the same weather at the same time.
When is the second durian season?
Roughly December to February, sometimes beginning in October or November if a second flowering happens on schedule. It produces less fruit and a narrower range of varieties than the June to August main season, and prices tend to be higher because supply is lower.