Music and festivals in Morocco

Summer is finally coming in some parts of the planet and positivity and celebration come with it. Even so, there are many destinations in which joy and happiness are felt everywhere at any time of the year. That is the case of Morocco, country of which I am going to tell you in this post.

We have already told ten reasons to travel to Morocco. you how much money you will need for travelling to Morocco, what the weather is like there, how to enjoy its gastronomy, how to cross the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain or how to spend a New Year’s Eve in the desert. Now I am going to tell you about some of the festivals that you can enjoy during the summer in 5 different points of Morocco. Do you want to discover them? Join me then, follow the rhythm of the music!

Fez

We start our trip in Fez, where the 24th World Sacred Music Festival is going to begin very soon (on June 22). From that day and until June 30, this Moroccan city considered as the religious and cultural centre of the country will host an event that started in 1994 and that is known worldwide.

Every year, the World Sacred Music Festival in Fez has a wide programme that includes musical performances of artists and groups from different parts of Morocco and with different styles. If you want to see all the events that it will include this year, you can do it in its website or in its Facebook page.

You can reserve and pay for each of the shows individually because each one of them has a different price. You also have the option of buying a pass valid for all the festival for 350 euros through the official webpage. The show is guaranteed!

Marrakesh

The Marrakesh Popular Arts Festival is also at the end of June. This event, normally held in an Arabian Nights-style place, the El Badi Palace, brings together artists from Morocco who want to present centuries of traditional music of this country to the public.

Sounds that will transport you trough time and dances from the Atlas or from the Sahara, such as Dekkah or Guedra, are just a small example of what you are going to find if you visit Marrakesh at the end of the month to enjoy this festival.

Agadir

Located 600 kilometres from Rabat, Agadir, the capital of Morocco, is a perfect city for enjoying the summer if you want a beach destination. Besides that, from 4 to 8 July Agadir also has an added attraction: Timitar Festival.

Thank to this celebration, the Moroccan city becomes a place of cultural mix through music, because this event brings together singers and groups that are a wide representation of the different popular Moroccan sounds that can be listened from the Atlas to the most remote villages of the desert.

In addition to the musical shows that you can enjoy during the festival, there are workshops, conferences or film screenings in line with the essence of the event. You can know everything that will happen in the next edition in their Facebook page.

Tangier

Now we are going to change musical styles to go to one of the musical events held in Tangier, the TANJazz, also known as Tangier’s Jazz Festival.

This year’s edition, number 19th, will be held between 20 and 23 September, in the Italian Palace in Tangier. During those days, different artists will take the sounds of jazz to the streets of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Morocco. Jaume Llombart Trio, Daniel Cano or Toni Vaquer are just some of the names that will perform in the festival stages. It will also have some jam sessions. A real luxury for jazz fans!

Tickets can be bought in the festival webpage for single days (the cheapest ones, for 20 and 23 june, are 200 Moroccan dirhams, about 18 euros) or you can get a 4-days pass that costs 1000 Morocan dirhams, about 90 euros.

You can see the full programme in their website and you can keep yourself updated in their Facebook page.

Casablanca

We get away from the summer for the moment because high temperatures will continue to be with us during the day and off we go to Casablanca. Located 80 kilometres from Rabat, this city is one of the commercial and industrial ports of the country. More specifically, we will be there from 18 to 22 October, because another important musical event is held in Casablanca on those dates. In this case, it is the Boulevard Young Musicians Music Festival (known as L’Boulevard in French).

This urban music festival, organized by L’Association EAC-l’Boulvart, wants to publicize new Moroccan bands through the competition that gives its name to the festival. Moreover, apart from the festival, there are other activities such as workshops with the same aim: discovering young Moroccan musicians in a scene as difficult as the musical one.

Keep yourself informed about the activities that are going to take place in their Facebook page.

Now that you know several festivals for enjoying music in Morocco, which one is your favourite?

Global Exchange in Morocco

You can exchange your money for Moroccan dirhams with Global Exchange. They have more than 13 branches in the international airports of the cities we just told you about: Agadir, Tangier, Marrakesh, Casablanca and Fez, with Customer Service usually open 27/7.

And if you are already there and you plan on changing money upon your arrival (or your coming back home), we will make it easier with a 15% on the margin applied to your change at any of the Moroccan branches. To benefit from the discount, show this coupon at the branch and start your trip off on the right foot.