The Best Annual Festivals and Events in Morocco

The Best Annual Festivals and Events in Morocco

Morocco is a country given to celebration, and has several types of festivals: there are religious festivals, national festivals, moussemo processions, festivals and local festivals linked to agriculture. For the traveler, any of them is a wonderful opportunity to get to the very essence of the spoiled country of the Atlas.

As in most Muslim countries, the most important festivals in Morocco are religious. The Muslim calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and its year has 354 days as opposed to the 365 of ours. This implies that its months move about two weeks with respect to ours and, consequently, that the dates of the Feast of the Lamb, Ramadan or the Nativity of the Prophet vary from one year to another in our calendar. In addition to these celebrations, national holidays or those of European origin, such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Labor Day (May 1) or Independence Day (November 18), are governed by the solar or Gregorian calendar.

Moroccans are traditional people, and for them it is a source of pride – and a sign of respect – to maintain the customs of their ancestors. That is why they celebrate their holidays in much the same way as they did centuries ago: gathering the whole family around the table, giving gifts, wearing traditional costumes (djellaba for men, kaftan for women), going out in the street and honoring Allah.

However, Morocco today is a country open to new customs and influences, so that its millenary festivities coexist with an agenda full of music festivals (such as the Rabat Jazz Festival or the Gnaoua Music Festival), cinema -national, African and European-, shows and cultural exhibitions from other countries, and they take place especially in the big cities like Rabat, Marrakech or Casablanca.

In addition, Moroccans also sing to nature – logical, in a country of such beauty – and for them, the blossoming of the almond trees or the cherry season deserve to be celebrated. Dates related to agriculture and work in the fields are also often commemorated (such as the Honey Festival or the Moussem of the Roses) and are basically another sign of the gratitude that Moroccans feel towards God for his immense work.

It is quite likely that we will coincide with one of their festivals when we travel to Morocco, whatever the season of the year. It will be an excellent way to experience the authentic feeling of this extraordinary country.

OUTSTANDING FESTIVALS

FEBRUARY:

MOUSSEM OF SIDI BEN AÏSSA (MEKNES)

This festival gathers the followers of the Brotherhood of the Aissaoua around the mausoleum of Sidi ben Aïssa, its founder. For several days, and coinciding with the Nativity of the Prophet, pilgrims from all over the country settle in huge tents on the outskirts of Meknes and attend the festive events, which include music and mystical dances, processions and horse shows.

MARCH:

ALMOND BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Tafraoute is a small town in the southern Atlas that, once a year, becomes the center of attention in the country: it happens at the end of February, when the almond trees blossom in the Ameln Valley and all the inhabitants celebrate this event with concerts, markets, folk dances and open-air shows.

APRIL:

JARDIN’ART DE MARRAKECH

Presided over by the Princess herself, the Jardin’Art de Marrakech is an ode to nature that every year, around the month of April, organizes numerous events related to botany and flowers. In addition to ephemeral gardens, floral displays and workshops, this festival is not lacking in live music, traditional dance and crafts.

MAY:

FESTIVAL OF GNAWA AND WORLD MUSIC IN ESSAOUIRA

Hundreds of artists come together for one of the country’s most important traditional music festivals. The Gnawa Music Festival began as a secondary festival for musicians and members of the mystical Gnawa brotherhoods, and has now become a very interesting meeting of world music.

FESTIVAL OF THE ROSE (KELAA M’GOUNA)

The month of May is the month of roses in Morocco, and that is how they understand it in the city of Kelaa M’Gouna, an oasis nestled in the valley of the M’Goun River famous for the cultivation of the Damascus rose. For three days, along with the shower of rose petals, the end of the harvest is celebrated with Berber music, singing and the famous Ahwash dance.

RABAT MAWAZINE FESTIVAL

A macro-festival of contemporary music takes place in the capital of the country with the open support of the King despite being a secular and “Western” event. It is the Mawazine, which every spring brings together more than two million people, and features international artists such as Mariah Carey, Shakira, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Sugarbabes or Pitbull.

JUNE:

SEFROU CHERRY FESTIVAL

Held in the town of Sefrou, near Fez, the Cherry Festival was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012. The festival, held in early June, features parades of floats, regional dances and the appointment of the Queen of Cherries in a beauty contest attended by candidates from all over the country.

FESTIVAL OF SACRED MUSIC OF THE WORLD

The oldest city in Morocco, Fez, hosts this musical and spiritual event that turns the ancient Bab Boujloud square and the Bab Makina palace into luxury stages. The festival is a real journey through different religions and ethnicities, which has not lacked in recent years a hand outstretched to flamenco and youth music.

L’BOULEVARD FESTIVAL (CASABLANCA)

This festival – in reality, a contest – is an important platform for young Moroccan and African musicians to make themselves known to the world. The Boulevard has also become the “home” of Nayda movement, the Moroccan “movida” whose musical banner is national rap and hip-hop.

JULY:

NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF POPULAR ARTS OF MARRAKECH.

Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this multitudinous event invades the most beautiful areas of the city – such as the El Badi Palace or Le Village – to fill them with music, dance and color. It is celebrated every July since 1959 with the aim of showing the cultural richness of the country.

ASSILAH INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Every summer, the city of Assilah becomes a huge open-air canvas where painters from all over the world paint their colorful murals directly on the white walls. During these days there are also concerts, theater, art workshops, children’s activities and horse shows (the famous “equestrian fantasies”), among other events.

JOY OF CHAOUEN FESTIVAL

Every year for more than a decade, a music festival has been held in the Blue City where Moroccan rhythms mix with Latin, Flamenco and African rhythms. At the Festival Alegria de Chaouen it is not difficult to find Cuban, Lebanese or Cape Verdean artists, as well as leading figures of Spanish flamenco. In parallel, there are photo exhibitions, competitions of young talents, parades of traditional costumes and craft markets.

OCTOBER:

FESTIVAL OF THE ANDALUSIAN ANDALUSIAN ATLANTIC OF ESSAOUIRA

Conceived as a multicultural festival, this event has been held every October in Essaouira for more than a decade and aims to promote the Andalusian legacy. In addition to the music inherited from Al-Andalus, during these days there is dance, crafts, gastronomy and literature.

MARRAKECH ART BIENNIAL

Morocco opens up to the world and also to contemporary art, which has in this Biennial the space to present the latest proposals of national and international artists. Every two years, and during some days in October, all kinds of performances, video-art, installations and artistic pieces can be seen in public buildings and also outdoors.

DECEMBER:

MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Along with the millenary festivities, Morocco has modern and newly created celebrations, such as the Marrakech International Film Festival, which has been held every year since 2000, between November and December, and which has become an important cultural event.

RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS

RAMADAN

The most important date for believing Moroccans is Ramadan, which occupies the entire ninth month of the Islamic year. During the 30 days of this month, and as happens throughout the Islamic world, men and women purify themselves through fasting and other practices -such as sexual abstinence-, from dawn until sunset.

EID AL-ADHA OR FEAST OF THE LAMB

In the last month of the Muslim year is the Feast of the Lamb, which commemorates the Sacrifice of Abraham. It is the most important feast after Ramadan and lasts two full days, although preparations take weeks: they are days of hustle and bustle and shopping, somewhat similar to our Christmas with the difference -among others- that Moroccan towns and cities are filled with lambs that will be sacrificed -all of them- on the same day.

MOULIDAN-NABI, THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET MAHOMMED

Just as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, Muslims celebrate the birth of their prophet on the 12th day of the third month and its eve. In Morocco, it is tradition to dress up, spend the day with loved ones, go to the mosque, read poems and have a special meal. The night before, mosques are often illuminated and voices are raised in an overwhelming spectacle, especially in the city of Tangier.

EIDAL-FITRO BREAKING OF THE FAST

With the end of the ninth month, Ramadan also ends, and the Muslim community celebrates it during the first three days of the following month (Shawwal), wearing new clothes (white for men, as a sign of purity), eating with the family, praying and presenting children with gifts. The way to wish a happy holiday is by saying “Eid Mubarak!”, which means “Blessed Eid!” or “Holy Feast!”.