Marrakech is one of the top destination cities in Morocco, offering an awesome mix of history, architecture, food, culture, and natural beauty.
It’s worth a visit all on its own, but the busy schedule of world-class festivals makes it an even better place to spend a vacation.
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What Festivals are Celebrated in Marrakech?
Whether you like music, sports, art, film, food, or traditional culture, there is sure to be an event or festival in Marrakech you’ll love!
Marrakech Marathon
Held each January when the weather is mild and pleasant, the Marrakech Marathon winds through the heart of the city, along orange-tree lined streets, past historic buildings, and through beautiful gardens.
This marathon is a major event in the world of long-distance running, and attracts top athletes from dozens of countries.
It’s a great time to visit the city if you want to avoid the intense summer heat, and it’s a lot of fun to cheer on the runners as they make their way through Marrakech.
There is also a half-marathon and a short-course race for kids. The Marrakech Marathon usualy takes place in January.
Marrakech International Film Festival
Throughout its many annual iterations, the Marrakech International Film Festival has drawn an impressive crowd of filmmakers, producers, directors, actors, and film critics from around the world.
The festival began in 2001 with the support of King Mohamed VI, with the goal of promoting the art and film industry in the country.
Offering many public screenings, masterclasses, associated events, and intense competition for festival prizes, the festival is one of the annual highlights in Marrakech.
Oasis Festival
This relatively new festival, begun in 2015, features electronic, techno, and house music at the luxurious Source Hotel in Marrakech.
Between sets featuring artists like Richie Hawtin, Ellen Allien, Jeff Mills, Adriatique, and Agoria, you can relax in the sun, take a dip in the pool, or explore the city.
The date for the next festival usually held in December . More information can be found here: Oasis Festival
TEDx
If you love the fun, quirky, moving, surprising, and intellectual mix of talks that is TED, check out Marrakech’s own independently organized TEDx conference.
This year’s conference has already happened, but we hope they’ll be back next year’s edition! Check back here for more information: TEDx
Marrakech Biennial (every two years)
Marrakech Biennial is an incredible festival aims to inspire artists from around the world and build bridges between cultures through a combination of conferences, events, and exhibitions.
Since there is so much happening, the festival is spread out over several weeks in February-May in different locations around the city.
Programming primarily features work from the Arab world, the Mediterranean region, and North Africa, and celebrates Morocco’s position on the frontier of Africa and Europe, the East and the West, Islam and Christianity, and tradition and modernity.
Because one of the goals of the festival is to further deeper conversations about art and culture, parallel events such as lectures, round tables, and screenings are organized to complement and expand on themes in the artworks.
Essaouira Gnaoua Festival
Not too far away from Marrakech, and special enough to be worth including on this list is the Essaouira Gnaoua Festival, a world-class celebration of Moroccan and African music.
Every year usually in June, the sleepy city of Essaouira will be filled with the vibrant colors of the performers’ costumes, twangy guitar and intense drumbeats, and the cheers of an always-lively crowd.
With internationally recognized performers of gnaoua, blues, rock, and more, this festival is a major highlight of the Moroccan festival lineup.
In addition to the performances, there are dance, music, and art workshops and forums on cultural, social, and political topics relating to music.
Find out more here: http://festival-gnaoua.net/en/
Religious Holidays
Ramadan
Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, marking the period when the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad.
Muslims celebrate this special time by fasting during the day, praying, reading the Qur’an, and renewing their commitment to faith through acts of kindness, patience, and generosity. Families gather each night to break the fast and enjoy time together.
If you’re willing to be flexible, Ramadan can be a great time to visit Marrakech. While everything moves slower during the day – shops open later, restaurants may be closed until dusk, and people might be feeling a little on edge – the nightlife will be even more vibrant than usual.
After the evening prayer, the whole city will be out and about until the wee hours of the morning, eating, socializing, and preparing for the next day of fasting.
At the end of Ramadan is a three-day holiday known as Eid el Fitr, filled with feasts, sweet treats, and social visits to friends and family.
Eid el Fitr
Eid el Fitr is the three-day holiday at the end of Ramadan.
Moroccans go all-out to celebrate the end of fasting, with each family making dozens of homemade cookies to offer guests, cooking delicious meals, and buying new clothes and toys for children.
Eid al Kabir
Eid al Kabir is the biggest holiday of the year in the Muslim world. Early in the morning, people attend the huge communal Eid prayer, then return home to sacrifice a sheep.
This commemorates the messenger Ibrahim’s deep faith, demonstrated by his willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s request.
The request was only a test, however, and God provided a ram instead.
Like Eid el Fitr, the days just before and after Eid al Kabir are some of the busiest travel days and buses and trains will be extremely full.
Do your best to avoid bus or train travel during this time – in many cases tickets sell out completely.Also note that many businesses will be closed during this time.
Unless you have made arrangements well in advance, you may wish to avoid travel in Morocco during this time.