Moroccan Festivals culture is noted for its colorful. Moroccan villages are brimming with well-organized events and festivals ranging from art and music to food and sports. Throughout the year, there are several opportunities to learn about and celebrate exciting historical, cultural, or religious traditions.
So, if you want to have a good time or are feeling brave, here is a list of some of Morocco’s finest events and festivals that you may attend.
Most important Moroccan Festivals:
Marrakech Marathon
Because the Marrakech Marathon has a worldwide reputation, it attracts approximately 8,000 individuals each year.
From a scenic aspect, the city of Marrakech—one of the world’s fastest-expanding tourist destinations—offers magnificent paths for runners to wound through.
The scenery will be enhanced by a lining of ancient city walls and vegetation of palm, olive, and orange trees. Because the event takes place in January, the weather is ideal for a run.
- Month: January Location: Marrakech
International Nomads Moroccan Festivals
Two important yearly Moroccan events are scheduled for March. However, in terms of firsthand nomadic cultural experience, the International Nomads Festival in M’Hamid El Ghizlane—a little village 60 kilometers south of Zagora—takes the cake.
Worldwide Nomads Festival, a free and open-air festival that celebrates the spirit of nomadic culture, features handcrafts, music, poetry, storytelling, and dance by local, national, and international artists. This festival promises traditional foods as well as sports.
- Month: February
- M’Hamid El Ghizlane
Marathon des Sables
Although April is filled with cultural events, one of the most prominent is the Marathon des Sables (The Sand Marathon).
Although not a Moroccan event like the others, this particular annual marathon through the Sahara Desert remains the most difficult footrace in the world.
The 6-day race spans a distance of 251 kilometers (156 mi). And if you’re up for a challenge, join up as soon as possible because applications will always be filled.
- Month: April Location: Sahara Desert
The Hassan II Golf Trophy
His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco is the host of the Hassan II Golf Trophy. The event has been held since 1971, except 1986 through 1990, 2005, and 2009. Then, in 2010, it was revived as a European Tour.
- Month: April
- Location: Rabat
Sufi Music and Cultural Moroccan Festivals
If you’re not into “racing across the Sahara,” there are lots of less physically challenging April events. Consider attending the annual 8-day Sufi Music & Cultural Moroccan Festivals in Fez.
If you want a taste of Sufi music and spirituality, the festival brings together Sufi religious leaders as well as an international showcase of artworks, films, poetry, music, and dance.
- Month: April
- The city of Fez
Marrakech Grand Prix
The Marrakech Grand Prix is an international touring car competition held on the Marrakech Street Circuit. It was the first international race in Morocco since the Moroccan Grand Prix at the Ain-Diab Circuit in Casablanca in 1958.
This race was originally slated for the season-opening in 2014, replacing the FIA WTCC race in Italy.
- Month: April Location: Marrakech
ATP World Tour 250 Series – GRAND PRIX HASSAN II
This is the annual men’s tennis tournament on the ATP Tour, and it is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series. This tournament began as an ATP Challenger event in 1984 and later as an ATP World Tour event in 1990.
Hicham Arazi (1997) and Younes El Aynaoui (2002) are the only Moroccans who have won the title in their nation.
The festival was previously hosted at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca before moving to Marrakesh in 2016. Between 1984 and 1989, it was part of the Challenger Series, although it is presently the only ATP event conducted in Africa during April.
- Month: April Location: Marrakech
Atlas Etape of Marrakech
This yearly cyclosportive begins in Marrakech and climbs up the Atlas Mountains to a ski resort before returning.
This is a fantastic challenge for both serious amateurs and experts, and there are many paths to accommodate everyone’s varying abilities.
- Month: April Location: Marrakech
Morocco Desert Challenge
This is the most popular rally-raid or cross-country event in Morocco. It is a multi-day off-road race that may demand traveling up to 900km (560 miles).
The Morocco Desert Challenge is the largest cross-country competition, and the categories motor and SSVs were fully booked two weeks before the registration deadline, with 60 and 30 participating teams, respectively. Since 2016, the event has run from coast to coast, traversing nearly the whole country of Morocco.
- Month: April Location: Marrakech
Merzouga World Music Festival
Around the middle of April, the Merzouga World Music Festival takes place. The one-of-a-kind festival, held among the elegant dunes of Erg Chebbi, merely serves as a medium for cultural exchange.
While musicians, featured artists, and dancers from all over the world will perform within the magnificent setting, don’t forget to bring your children, as the festival also offers various sporting activities that youngsters will appreciate.
- Month: April
- Location: Merzouga
Tan Tan Moussem
The Tan Tan Moussem event showcases a refined Moroccan tradition. Up to 30 tribes from southern Morocco and several tribes from northwest Africa will gather to swap stories, worship, dance, and, of course, compete in camel racing.
Several events are planned for your enjoyment during this time. You can see prominent Moroccan performers perform, or witness the Sahrawi and Berber tribes dance to tribal beats. In addition, the Tan Tan Moussem hosts horse and horse breeding competitions, wedding celebrations, and herbalist consultations.
- Tan Tan, May
Mawazine (Rhythms of the World) (Rhythms of the World)
The Mawazine (Rhythms of the World) is a more modern festival held in Rabat, Morocco’s attractive capital city. Its eight stages have hosted headliners such as Elton John, Kylie Minogue, and Whitney Houston in the past.
The event also highlights an increasing number of Moroccan performers, providing them with a significant career boost.
- Rabat, Morocco (May)
Gnaoua World Music Festival
Gnaoua World Music Festival, held every June in the charming seaside town of Essaouira, is a multicultural event unlike any other. The four-day celebration celebrates the Gnaoua people’s legacy and ancestral contribution around the world.
Approximately 500,000 people will enjoy musical and dance performances, participate in open debates, and interact with the performing artists in a more intimate and welcoming setting.
- Month: June
- Location: Essaouira
Festival of World Sacred Music
Fez hosts the weeklong Festival of World Sacred Music, one of the most well-known festivals in the country, bringing together researchers, musicians, and art fans from all over the world.
World Sacred Music is jam-packed with events, including a debate forum, free performances, and a film festival.
- Month: June City: Fes
Timitar Music Festival
Moroccan seaside towns thrive on eclectic summer events. The legendary Timitar Music Event, held in Agadir, is a major African music festival that features more than 40 international performers to honor Amazigh culture.
- Month: July
- Location: Agadir
Alegria Festival
Chefchaouen, a blue-washed and attractive village, also hosts Alegria, a two-day celebration that celebrates variety and culture.
From local talent shows and musical performances to delectable traditional dishes and photography exhibitions, the streets of Chefchaouen will be alive with the celebration of unique cultures from Morocco and throughout the world.
- Month: August Location: Chefchaouen
Tanjazz Festival
Tangier comes alive every year in early September during the Tanjazz Festival. Tanjazz provides a venue for up-and-coming and famous performers to flame Tangier’s streets with superb music over three days.
In addition, there are singing and dancing workshops available in Tangier at several venues.
- Tangier, September
The Oasis Moroccan Festivals
The Oasis Festival, held near the historic and vibrant city of Marrakech, promises a destination festival with an intimate feel. You will be exposed to the greatest of emerging electronic performers at Oasis.
Aside from the event’s purposely planned setting, expect moderate weather and flawless programming that will establish a magnificent standard for Morocco’s rising festival industry.
- Month: September Location: Marrakech
Morocco Horse Festival (Salon du Cheval)
Morocco Horse Festival has developed to become one of the top breakaway horse shows in the European and North African regions for equestrian enthusiasts.
The festival, located in the heart of the Moroccan Festivals equestrian calendar, boasts acres of showground and exhibition space. A fair where international competitors, state bodies, businessmen, and the general public all share a passionate tradition.
- Month: October
- Location: El Jadida
MOGA Festival
MOGA, an Essaouira-based electronic music festival, debuted in 2016 and is buzzing with a flavor of modern Morocco.
With a ticket, you may enjoy daytime events ranging from beach parties to musical brunches to digital video installations—or rock the night away with a star-studded lineup of Africa’s greatest electronic music acts.
- Month: October; Location: Essaouira
Cap Fémina Adventure
Cap Fémina Aventure is dedicated to women and runs from Villeneuve lez Avignon to Morocco. This rally-raid is founded on the idea of sharing and discovering Morocco in a unique way that is viewed beyond borders.
Along with the event’s difficulties, solidarity actions and meetings take place during the event’s midpoint. This trip is founded on human principles, which allow for more than just sportswomen competing for the greatest classification.
- Month: October Location: Sahara Desert
Taragalte Festival
Taragalte Festival is a three-day festival that celebrates peace and nomadic culture under the glittering stars of the Sahara Desert. Enjoy music, relax on the dunes, and dance under the desert moon. In addition, join many others in lively conversations about stability, environmental safety, and peace.
- Month: October Location: M’Hamid El Ghizlane
Marrakech International Film Festival
The Marrakech International Film Festival is a must-see for filmgoers and cinephiles. It is a world-class festival that promotes the finest of African and Arabic cinema, as well as certain European and Asian films.
The films exhibited range from comedies to tragedies to documentaries that explore current cultural and sociopolitical topics. The festival includes film screenings, premieres, and master courses.
Furthermore, underground filmmakers can enter a film competition judged by local and worldwide film personalities.
- Month: December Location: Marrakech
