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Morocco for dazzling festivals
If you’re a festival lover then you need to get yourself out to the hottest new country on the circuit, Morocco, just three and a half hours from Bristol airport. But you can leave your weather-beaten tent and mud-encrusted wellies in the back of the shed – Morocco is wall-to-wall sunshine for most of the year, and for all that purists will claim that the mud and squalor is part of the festival experience, believe us, warm and dry is the way to go.
The biggie is Mawazine. Hosted in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, this nine-day festival in May takes place on seven stages set around the city and is attended by 2.5 million people from around the world.
Around 90% of the performances are free to attend and in the last few years it has been headlined by artists including Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Elton John and Kanye West. As well as the concerts there are parades and workshops, and as you’re in the heart of the city you can explore in between performances or just head to the beach and enjoy some sun, sea and sand.
Electronic music more your thing? Marrakech is the home of Oasis, a fun, inclusive dance event that is as much about providing a laid-back festival experience as it is about the music.
It takes place at The Source, a hotel complex with villas and pools to relax by with the stunning Atlas Mountains visible in the distance. This year was the inaugural event and critics are tipping it to become one of the most important festivals on the international calendar.
In the north of Morocco is Tangier, an intrinsically cool city of cafes, bars and free spirits, so where better to hold the country’s top jazz festival?
Called Tanjazz, this is a four day extravaganza of large open-air concerts and more intimate performances at indoor venues across the city. Fusion, swing, traditional, gnaoua – every style is covered by the musicians that come from across the globe to perform here every September.
Morocco is a very spiritual place, nowhere more so than Fez, and it’s in this historic city you can attend the World Sacred Music Festival each May. A meeting point of different cultures, religions and music styles, it’s an event that aims to break down borders through art and music. With plenty of free concerts to attend, this is a perfect festival for anyone who likes to go where the mood takes them.
For more information on travel to Morocco go to: http://www.muchmorocco.com/
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