The kingdom’s calendar

Events in Morocco

21 great gatherings · official sources only

Festivals move with harvests, moons and ministries — so every entry links its official site for the current dates, and our own guide for the travel side. Visiting for one of them? We build private guided days and activities around any event on this page — never in a group.

Music festivals

Gnaoua & World Music Festival

Gnaoua & World Music Festival

Essaouira · June (dates on the official site)

Three days when Gnaoua maâlems jam with world and jazz artists on ocean-side stages — Morocco's most soulful festival.

Mawazine — Rhythms of the World

Mawazine — Rhythms of the World

Rabat · May–June

One of the world's biggest music festivals: global headliners and Moroccan stars across the capital's open-air stages.

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Fes · May–June

Sufi nights, sacred voices and world traditions in palace courtyards — the medina's most transcendent week.

Jazzablanca

Jazzablanca

Casablanca · June–July

International jazz, soul and funk by the Atlantic — Casablanca at its most cosmopolitan.

L'Boulevard

L'Boulevard

Casablanca · September

Morocco's urban-music institution: rap, rock and metal from the country's youth culture.

Timitar — Amazigh & World Music

Timitar — Amazigh & World Music

Agadir · July

Amazigh music meets world stages by the beach — Agadir's signature festival.

Culture, moussems & seasons

Rose Festival

Rose Festival

Kelaa M'Gouna — Valley of Roses · May, after the harvest

The Dades valley celebrates its rose harvest with parades, cooperatives in full bloom and a queen of the roses.

Erfoud Date Festival

Erfoud Date Festival

Erfoud — Tafilalet oasis · October, after the date harvest

The Tafilalet's million palms crown their harvest: souks of mejhoul dates, music and desert traditions.

Tan-Tan Moussem

Tan-Tan Moussem

Tan-Tan — the Saharan south · Spring (varies)

UNESCO-listed gathering of Saharan nomad tribes: camel culture, tbourida and desert poetry.

Marrakech du Rire

Marrakech du Rire

Marrakech · June–July

Jamel Debbouze's francophone comedy festival fills Marrakech's stages and rooftops with laughter.

Yennayer — Amazigh New Year

Yennayer — Amazigh New Year

Nationwide · Around 13–14 January (official holiday)

Couscous with dried fruits and family tables for year 297x of the Amazigh calendar.

Ramadan & the Eids

Ramadan & the Eids

Nationwide · Lunar calendar — moves ~11 days earlier each year

The holy month and its two feasts reshape the country's rhythm — and reward travellers who come prepared.

Cinema & arts

Marrakech International Film Festival

Marrakech International Film Festival

Marrakech · Late November — 2026: Nov 20–28 announced

Red carpets under the Koutoubia: world premieres, tributes and open-air screenings on Jemaa el-Fna.

Sport & endurance

Marathon des Sables

Marathon des Sables

The southern Sahara · April

The legendary 250 km self-sufficiency ultra across the dunes — the world's toughest footrace.

Marrakech International Marathon

Marrakech International Marathon

Marrakech · January

42 fast, flat kilometres past ramparts and palm groves in perfect running weather.

FIFA World Cup 2030

FIFA World Cup 2030

Morocco · Spain · Portugal · Summer 2030

Morocco co-hosts the centenary World Cup — stadiums, cities and the biggest travel event in the kingdom's history.

Business, congresses & fairs

GITEX Africa

GITEX Africa

Marrakech · Spring (dates on the official site)

Africa's largest tech gathering brings tens of thousands of delegates to Marrakech.

SIAM — International Agriculture Show

SIAM — International Agriculture Show

Meknès · April

Morocco's biggest fair: a million visitors, 70+ countries, and the kingdom's farming heartland on display.

SIEL — International Book Fair

SIEL — International Book Fair

Rabat · Spring

North Africa's leading publishing fair — hundreds of exhibitors and a capital full of authors.

Salon du Cheval

Salon du Cheval

El Jadida · October

The international horse fair: tbourida charges, breed shows and Morocco's deep equestrian culture.

Atlantic Dialogues

Atlantic Dialogues

Marrakech · December

The Policy Center's high-level international forum on the wider Atlantic — diplomats, CEOs and researchers.

Travelling for an event?

Hotels fill and prices climb around the big dates — but the cities themselves get even better. Tell us which event brings you and we build the rest of the trip around it: private guided visits, day trips, desert nights and airport transfers, timed to your programme. Message us on WhatsApp — reply within the hour, never a group.