Culture: festivals and events

March

International festival of nomadic peoples - M’hamid El Ghizlane.: Traditions, customs and skills of nomadic tribes are celebrated in this festival of song, dance and various exhibitions.
Marathon of the Sands - Zagora: An athletic race in south Morocco, organised in stages over 240 km, across sand dunes, stony plateaus, dry river beds, palm oasis, and hills.

‘Aicha of the Gazelles’ Motor Rally - Ouarzazate: Women’s adventure rally, for amateurs and professionals. 10 days immersed in the heart of the Moroccan Sahara, with a 4x4, motorbike, quadbike or truck.

Festival of the roses - El Kelaa M’gouna: Usually the first weekend in May. Men and women dress in their finest costumes to celebrate the rose harvest at El Kelaa M’gouna, an area of large-scale production of rose oils and other specialities. They dance, spraying the crowds of visitors with rose water, and showering them with rose petals. The town hosts many events throughout the festival, including: folklore, craft exhibitions, and a procession of flower-decked floats.

Tan Tan Festival: This is the great gathering of the nomadic tribes known as the ‘Blue Men’, because of the blue robes they wear. Each year, in the small southern town of Tan Tan, there is a huge coming-together of all the tribes to celebrate the feast day of Sidi Mohammed Maa El Aynine. A large camel market takes place. Both a religious and a commercial event.

Festival of the Cherries - Sefrou: See and buy the different types of cherries grown in the Sefrou region. The festival lasts 3 days, and revolves around dances, singing and processions.
Festival of Sacred Music - Fes: Musicians from Morocco to France, Turkey to India, Spain to Pakistan, and France to Egypt come together to share Sufi and gawwali chants, saeta and whirling dervish dances, and joint performances.
Gnaoua and World Music Festival - Essaouira: Music from the famous Gnaoua tribes and other world music. Gnaoua music, with drums, castanets and other instruments, represents a fusion of African and Islamic traditions, and of jazz, blues, reggae and hip-hop, creating haunting, trance-inducing rhythms. A very popular festival, book early!

Ahouach Festival - Ouarzazate: An event which presents and preserves the folk dances of this region. Also includes craft demonstrations and exhibitions in the programme.

Festival of the Fiancés - Imilchil: The Festival of the Fiancés at Imilchil draws on an ancient legend of romantic love. The twin lakes below Imilchil are called Izli (the groom) and Tizli (the bride), and are said to have been filled with the tears of two star-crossed lovers whose parents would not allow them to wed. 30,000 people from Berber tribes of the high plateaux gather over 3 days and plan weddings between the young people of this and other regions. Traditional wedding songs and dances take place, and around 900 couples sign their wedding contracts. There is a massive and very festive market (‘souk’) where you can buy everything from garage doors decorated with hearts to candy-floss made by hand.

‘Guy Hoquet Morocco’ Motor Rally - Ouarzazate: Part of the FIA World Cup of all-terrain motor rallying, this race takes place in the great south of Morocco. It is 2300km long, over 1800km of which is on special tracks comprising all the difficulties of driving in Africa. In parallel with the sporting event, there is also a humanitarian operation in support of the region’s schools at the same time.

Festival of the Dates - Erfoud: There are more than a million date palms in the region of Erfoud. The local people hold processions of families and friends to celebrate the date harvest.