Essaouira Gears Up to Host 350 Artists for a Celebration of Music, Heritage

Morocco World

2 days ago

Rabat – The Moroccan coastal city of Essaouira will come alive with the rhythms of the 26th Gnaoua and World Music Festival between June 19 and 21.
The event will feature 350 artists, including 40 Maalems (masters), across 54 concerts held day and night in open-air spaces, heritage sites, and intimate settings.
Organizers describe the festival as 'more than just a celebration … it's a vision.' For three days, Essaouira is set to become the heartbeat of global music, where Moroccan Gnaoua tradition meets international sounds in a spirit of freedom, spirituality, and connection.
The festival will begin with a colorful and energetic street parade, bringing together all the Maalems of Gnaoua.
The opening concert will take place at the iconic Moulay Hassan stage, featuring Maalem Hamid El Kasri and Senegal's Bakalama Company. Together with singers Abir El Abed and Kya Loum, they are set to create a powerful blend of Moroccan spirituality, West African rhythms, and modern sounds.
Throughout the festival, audiences can expect rare musical fusions, with Maalem Houssam Gania performing with New York drummer Marcus Gilmore, Morad El Marjan in a spiritual dialogue with jazz legend Dhafer Youssef, and Asmaa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou joining forces with Rokia Koné, a powerful voice from Mali.
One of the standout performances will be a new creation by Maalem Mohamed Boumezzough, with musicians from Morocco, Mali, and France.
The festival will also welcome major African and Afro-diasporic stars, including Cimafunk, a rising Afro-Cuban artist, Tiken Jah Fakoly, the legendary reggae voice, and CKay, a Nigerian pop phenomenon.
Younger Gnaoua talents will also shine on the beach stage as they will perform alongside master musicians.
This year's Human Rights Forum, as part of the festival, will focus on human mobility and cultural exchange. Writers, historians, filmmakers, and thinkers, including Andrea Rea, Elia Suleiman, Véronique Tadjo, and many others, will reflect on migration, storytelling, and identity.
The festival also continues its educational mission with the second edition of Berklee at Gnaoua and World Music Festival, in partnership with the Berklee College of Music. Young musicians from 23 countries will receive training from international artists.
Also new this year is the Chair of Cultural Crossings and Globalization, created with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). It will host two public roundtables exploring Gnaoua rituals and modern musical fusion.
In addition, festival-goers can enjoy public workshops, street concerts, an art exhibition titled 'Between Play and Memory' at Borj Bab Marrakech, and open discussions at The Tree of Palaver, inspired by African traditions.
With all these activities, the festival offers 'three days to feel, think, and be amazed,' say organizers. 'Three days to reconnect with what truly matters. In Essaouira, music brings together what the world keeps apart.'