2012 Festivals & Events

There are many special events in Morocco; some of them are listed on this page.

13-15 April : Marrakech World Touring Car Race

The inaugural event of 2009 on this street track was the first major motor race in the country since Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn battled each other for the 1958 Formula 1 World Championship in Casablanca. There will be 20 hours of track action over the Friday to Sunday, featuring not just the WTCC, but also the AutoGP V8 Supercar Championship, Maserati Trofeo and Renault Clio RS Cup, all on a track laid out on the city streets.

Buy your tickets at: www.raceofmorocco.com
Suggested hotels: All Marrakech hotels

May: Rose Festival

The harvest in El Kelaa des M'Gouna in the Dades Valley (known as the Valley of the Roses) is celebrated with music, sabre dancers, and a float procession with a special Rose Queen crowned in this carnivalesque atmosphere. Here, the country's rose oil and rose water is produced and the air is filled with the scent. Rose water is not the cheapest commodity, and this is because of the yield, with about 3000kg of roses producing a litre of the water. A souk is held in the town during the event. It is best to arrive some days before if you wish to see the roses in the valley, as they are cut at the start of the festival.

Suggested hotels: Les Jardins de Skoura, Sawadi

8-16 June: Fez Festival of World Sacred Music

Inaugurated in 1994, this festival incorporates a diverse range of devotional music in its concerts, including Qawwali and Gospel, including Europeans on the bill, performing various styles such as flamenco and folk music. The event's remit is 'to harness the arts and spirituality in the service of human and social development, and the relationship between peoples and cultures.

The theme of the 2012 event is 'Re-enchanting the World', in the process paying tribute to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam.

http://fesfestival.com/2012/index_en.html
Suggested hotels: Riad Fes, Ryad Salama, Ryad Mabrouka, Riad al Bartal

21-24 June: Gnaoua Festival - Essaouira (15th Edition)

This festival celebrates a form of music some of whose origins are connected with this town; in the 18th century many slaves were brought to Essaouira, whose songs told about their painful journey through the Sahara desert and their sufferings. The lively music has often been described as ‘trance-inducing', its mystic power sometimes compared to Haitian voodoo and Brazilian Candomble.

Gnaoua is one of Morocco's best musical contributions to the world.
www.festival-gnaoua.net
Suggested hotels: Madada Mogador, Riad Asmitou

July (2012 dates TBC): Marrakech Popular Arts Festival

Some of the city’s most feted locations, the main ones being El Badi Palace and the Djemaa el Fna square play host to singers, dancers, actors, fire-eaters, snake charmers and myriad other entertainers. The festival was inaugurated in 1959 by the king, with the aim of preserving national artistic heritage. In 2011, a new featured was introduced, 'The Village', showcasing the work of various artists within one of the city's gardens.

A festival of performance in a city that loves to perform.
Suggested hotels: All Marrakech hotels

September (2012 dates TBC): Imilchil Wedding Festival

This festival is not actually a series of marriages, but an event in which various couples from local tribes meet and in which some couples get engaged. It is based on the legend of two lovers from different Berber tribes whose parents forbade them to get married. The couple subsequently were said to have drowned themselves in nearby lakes, but because a mountain seperated the lakes, their spirits could not be united in death, leaving them to yearn each other for eternity. After this, it is thought that many tribes decided women and men should be more free to choose their future partners in marriage. The event also has music, singing, dancing and feasts.

Suggested hotels: Kasbah du Toubkal, Dar Ouassaggou

December (2012 dates TBC): Marrakech International Film Festival

Taking place in Place Djemaa el Fna, this film festival has welcomed many influential film-makers including Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and Francis Ford Coppola.

http://en.festivalmarrakech.info/
Suggested hotels: All Marrakech hotels