Gnaoua festival
Every year in June, Essaouira hosts the Gnaoua (Gnawa) Festival, which pays tribute to the mystical music of the Gnaouas. The Atlantic beach town of Essaouira offers one of the best anchorages in Morocco and its medina, a well-preserved walled city dating from the late 18th century, has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This year, 2025, the festival celebrates its 26th anniversary! From 19 to 21 June 2025.
Gnaoua Festival: Visitors from all over the world
The Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira, Morocco, attracts more than 500,000 visitors from around the world each year to celebrate the city’s distinct culture and enjoy performances by renowned musicians and jazz artists. The four-day event features Gnaoua music and art exhibitions that attract huge crowds. International artists and bands from Marrakech, Tangier and Essaouira gather at many venues including Place Moulay Hassan, Bab Doukkala, Bab Marrakech, Dar Souiri, Chez Kebin, Zaouia Gnaoua, Place Khayma and Marche Aux Grain.
Recently, Gnaoua singers have benefited from a dedicated platform in Bab Doukkala, allowing fans to interact with personalities such as Hamid El Kasri and Abdelkébir Merchane. This stage is exclusively reserved for gnaoua performances and, every night at midnight, the faithful can discover authentic lilacs during the amazing gnaoua zaouia trances.
Gnaoua Festival 2025: The program
| Day | Date | Main program |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 19 June 2025 | Opening concert: Maâlem Hamid El Kasri, Compagnie Bakalama, Abir El Abed, Kya Loum Fusion : Maâlem Houssam Gania & Marcus Gilmore Maâlem Hamid El Kasri Kya Loum Compagnie Bakalama Marcus Gilmore Abir El Abed Anas Chlih Hajar Alaoui |
| Friday | 20 June 2025 | CKAY (afrobeats sensation) |
| Saturday | 21 June 2025 | Maâlem Mohamed Boumezzough with Anas Chlih, Aly Keïta, Tao Ehrlich, Martin Guerpin, Quentin Ghomari & Hajar Alaoui (fusion) Maâlem Hamid El Kasri Maâlem Mohamed Boumezzough Tao Ehrlich Quentin Ghomari Martin Guerpin Aly Keïta Abir El Abed Anas Chlih |
Thematic stages and world music
The new Bab Sebaa stage allows you to discover world and jazz musicians, while the Moulay Hassan stage is reserved for the great figures of music. The new generation of maâlems performs on the small stages in the medina.
With ten concert halls offering ten distinct but complementary programmes, there is something for everyone at the Gnaoua Festival. The level of excellence has not changed.
Gnaoua, fusion and jazz
An evening usually consists of several segments. From 6 to 9 p.m., Gnaoua music takes centre stage, followed by performances by non-Gnaoua jazzmen.
People look forward to the start of the evening, when the Gnaoua Maâlem (masters) and their ensembles begin to perform. The Maâlems use bowed lutes, such as the gogo, and plucked lutes, such as the gimbri, also known as the hajhuj, a three-stringed bass instrument, which are deeply rooted in their traditions.
The traditional spiritual music of the Gnaoua has been transformed by the Essaouira Gnaoua Festival, which has infused it with jazz, blues, reggae and hip-hop. Each year, the festival creates one of Morocco’s largest public events and most exhilarating jam sessions by bringing together renowned musicians to exchange and mix their music with Gnaoua music.
Gnaoua Festival: Some key figures
Here are some key figures on the Essaouira Gnaoua Festival:
- The festival was established in 1998 and has since attracted internationally renowned artists such as Robert Plant, Marcus Miller, and Tinariwen, as well as local and regional musicians.
- The festival usually lasts four days, and takes place in the summer, usually in June.
- Each year the festival attracts around 500,000 visitors, with participants coming from all over the world to attend concerts, workshops and other events.
- The festival is also a major economic event for the city of Essaouira, generating around 200 million Moroccan dirhams (around €18 million) in economic benefits.
- In addition to the music, the festival also includes cultural events such as art exhibitions, film screenings, and lectures on Gnawa music and its historical and cultural roots.