Morocco has a rich festival calendar mixing Islamic religious events, Berber seasonal celebrations, and world-class music festivals.
Gnaoua World Music Festival (June, Essaouira) — Half a million people descend on Essaouira for three days of Gnaoua music (a trance-rooted tradition descended from West African slaves) fused with international jazz, blues, and fusion. Multiple free outdoor stages. One of Africa's great music events. See the Gnaoua Festival entry.
Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (May/June, Fez) — A week of concerts featuring Sufi singers, Buddhist chants, Jewish liturgical music, and sacred traditions from across the world. One of the most thoughtfully programmed music festivals anywhere. Held in the Bab Makina square and other historic Fez venues. See the Fez page.
Marrakech Popular Arts Festival (July, Marrakech) — A week of traditional Moroccan folk arts: Gnaoua musicians, Amazigh dancers, acrobats, and storytellers from across the country performing in Djemaa el-Fna and the nearby gardens. See the Marrakech Popular Arts Festival entry.
Tan-Tan Moussem (biennial, Tan-Tan) — A UNESCO-listed gathering of nomadic Saharan tribes in the deep south: camel trading, the Guedra trance dance, music, and fantasia horseback displays. One of the most authentic cultural events in the country, if you can get there. See the Tan-Tan Moussem entry.
Almond Blossom Festival (February, Tafraoute) — The valleys around Tafraoute are planted with almond trees that bloom in late January and February. The festival is a low-key local celebration of the blossom season, with music and market activity. Timing depends on the bloom, which varies year to year.
Sale Wax Lantern Procession (Mouloud, Sale) — On the eve of the Prophet's birthday (Mouloud, date varies by lunar calendar), the white town of Sale — across the river from Rabat — holds a candlelit procession through the medina. One of Morocco's most beautiful and atmospheric traditional events.
Ramadan (date varies) is not a festival as such, but it transforms the country. Days are quiet; nights are alive with music, socialising, and food. The iftar meal at sunset is a communal event worth experiencing. The last ten days of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr at the end are particularly vivid.