Essaouira, a city known for its international “Gnaoua and World Music Festival,” the distinguished “Alizés Musical Spring” dedicated to classical music, and the lively electronic music festival “MOGA” .
The Moroccan port city, a world crossroads of arts and culture, is an open-air theater where music may be heard across the city.
Essaouira, also known as the Wind City, is a premier tourist destination which has evolved into one of the Kingdom’s most vibrant cities, offering a diverse range of concerts, festivals, and musical acts throughout the year to the delight of music enthusiasts from all over.
There is no need to limit your trip to festival dates to see exciting performances, as Moulay El Hassan Square, one of the city’s most magnificent esplanades, which has mesmerizing musical acts from morning to night.
Delivered with mastery by young artists and local bands, these vibrant shows enrich the resident’s daily lives as well as those of tourists and visitors.
At the other end of the Moulay El Hassan square, near the Horloge d’Essaouira, passers-by take a moment to revel in another spectacle. Charmed by the harmony between the three musicians of this Moroccan folk music band, the crowds react with enthusiasm, offering warm ovations and murmurs of admiration that punctuate each performance with infinite grace.
Beneath the historic ramparts of the Sqala de la Kasbah, one of Essaouira’s architectural landmarks, a Gnawi amazes visitors with a refined musical performance, where the authentic sounds of Gnawa music rub shoulders with modern influences.
Armed with his Guembri (banjo-type-instrument), the gnawi is a talented juggler of sounds on stage. His nimble, expert hands dance over the strings of his instrument, revealing melodies laced with mystery and nostalgia, as well as dynamic riffs that captivate the attention of every passer-by.
As night falls, the musical sounds don’t seem to fade, but rather continue to resonate with renewed intensity from the rooftops of the riads, restaurants and cafes of the old medina.
Passers-by, their eyes enchanted, abandon themselves to the intoxicating rhythms resounding in the air, letting themselves be carried away by the magic of the scene and the emotion of this unique nocturnal symphony.