Festivals and Events
-
Marrakech Marathon
More than 5,000 runners from all over the world take part over a course, which follows the palm-lined boulevards of the city.
http://www.marathon-marrakech.com -
Dakka Marrakchia Festival
This is a form of traditional music consisting of polyrhythmic percussion and choral chants.
-
Printemps musical des Alizes
A chamber music festival that’s held in Essaouira, a port city about two hours from Marrakech.
http://www.alizesfestival.com -
Friendship Festival
A variety of local and international performances ranging from American gospel to traditional Moroccan.
http://www.friendshipfest.com -
Festival of the Gnaouas and World Music
Concerts are open-air in the port city of Essaouira.
http://www.festival-gnaoua.co.ma -
Popular Arts Festival
During this event, the Djemaa el Fna and its surrounding area becomes the focus for all kinds of traditional folk performances from throughout Morocco.
http://www.ilovemarrakech.com -
Fete du Trone
Commemorates Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne in 1999. Flags and light-bulb garlands are everywhere and there are occasional fireworks.
-
Moussem de Setti Fatma
In the villages of the High Atlas, the summer months are marked by a series of moussems - long-established traditional celebrations focusing on local saints. These tend to be part agricultural fair part clan gathering with a bit of religious ceremony thrown in. One of the best known is at Setti Fatma in the Ourika Valley.
-
Imilchil Marriage Feast
A tribal marriage festival in which up to 40 couples tie the knot on one day up in the mountains. A multitude of festivities surround it.
-
Start of Ramadan
Annual month of fasting
-
Eid al-Adha
Meaning "the day of the sacrifice", it’s the festival that marks the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, hence one of the most important feasts in the Islamic calendar.
-
International Film Festival
The African version of the Cannes festival.
http://www.festivalmarrakech.info
Theatre, Cinema and Opera
Arts events are a bit thin on the ground in Marrakech, although there are hints of change. In addition to the popular annual film-fest, the city now has a major theatre – chiefly used for comedies in Moroccan Arabic. The Institut Francais has a small open-air amphitheatre, while austerely restored private palaces host literary events and the odd cultural happening. Music is at the heart of cultural life in Marrakech, as it is throughout the whole of Morocco. In this city, as in the country, distinctions between public and private performance are practically non-existent, as many of the best performers are often to be found playing to all who want to listen at Djemaa el Fna. More formal cultural events take the form of festivals. Performances combining music, dance and theatre are extremely popular during the National Festival of PopularArts (see Festivals and Events). Many posters around Marrakech advertise forthcoming comedy events, although performances are in French or Arabic only.
Anyone with even a passing interest in music should head straight for Djemaa el Fna. The best time to go for music is in the mid- to late evening, as the square gradually empties and the dedicated street musicians take over, playing their repetitive, rhythmic melodies on a mixture of mandolins, guitars, flutes, drums and makeshift violins.
As far as cinemas go, the Colisée, alongside the Café Le Siroua on Bd. Mohammed Zerktouni, in Gueliz is one of the best. It shows general releases and has enjoyed a recent face-lift. In the Medina, the Cinéma Mabrouka on Rue Bab Agnaou and the Cinéma Eden, off Derb Dabbachi, have a certain curiosity value, but watch your wallet.
Museums and Galleries
Marrakech has several excellent museums, all set in historic buildings and offering fine, well-displayed collections of local crafts and fine arts. The Musée Dar Si Saïd (Museum of Morocco) is the official collection of fine carpets, carvings, jewellery, musical instruments and arms, housed in the 19th-century home of the royal chamberlain, Sidi Said. The route through the museum flows from one grand room into another, with some peaceful walled gardens complete with fountains in which to relax. Nearby, the Maison Tiskiouine is a beautiful riad containing the private collection of folk crafts belonging to a Dutch expatriate, Bert Flint. It is a small, homely museum with a rather random collection of artefacts but it is charming nonetheless.
In the heart of the souk area, the Musée de Marrakech (Museum of Marrakech) is another magnificently restored 19th-century mansion displaying fine art, carpets, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, textiles and manuscripts. It is easily combined with a visit to the beautiful Ben Youssef Medersa, a former Koranic school, where the walkways and rooms are intricately decorated with stucco, tiles and carved cedar and set around a central pool. A little further along the same road is the Koubba el Badiyin, interesting because it is the only surviving structure of the city’s founders – the Almoravids.
For Children
Foreign children will attract lots of kindly attention – and possibly little gifts - as you move through the souks of Marrakech. A huge fuss will be made of them at restaurants. It’s not a brilliant city for tiny tots, however. Medina streets are not pram-friendly and riads have unfenced plunge pools and steep staircases. If you do have children with you, keep a tight hold on them in the narrow streets of the medina, as the traffic is hectic.
Marrakech might just be attractive to some kids as it’s short on religious monuments! There are plenty of interesting things to fill the day: for instance, a caleche (carriage) ride round the ramparts and a seat at the evening al fresco entertainment in the square of Djemaa el Fna. The Palmeraie Golf Palace Hotel complex north of town has bowling, riding stables, tennis courts and pools. Older children might enjoy a four-wheel drive excursion up into the High Atlas and a visit to Essaouira (details under Out of Town).
