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Essaouira – Women trilled in celebration as they welcomed the parade of Gnoaua musicians, kicking off the 2023 Gnaoua World Music Festival. Returning after a four-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the overflowing crowds of Moroccans and foreigners alike lined the streets and rooftops to observe the performers.
The festival lives up to its name as a “world music” event. The bursting barricades held travelers from around the world, many of whom heard the traditional Moroccan music for the first time during the parade.
Gnaoua Music Festival
Cesar Triviere, 28, reveled in the lively atmosphere of the parade. The performers clapped, sang, laughed and danced with seemingly boundless energy under the scorching sun.
Their infectious joy helped cement his new-found love and appreciation for Morocco as he concludes his first visit to the country from his hometown of Paris, France.
The festival garners loyal supporters from around the world and of all ages. 
Gnaoua Music Festival
“I just knew I needed to come back because there’s nowhere in the world like it,” said Zo Rahm, 30, from Sweden, “It’s got such an incredible energy.”
Florian Tout from Switzerland last attended the festival in 2013 to celebrate her 60th birthday. Ten years later, she has now returned to ring in her 70th year.
Health providing, she plans to come back in 2033 for her 80th birthday, said her husband, Juerg Schmid.
Tout is not alone in celebrating her own milestones amid the festivities. Uvle Kosterke, 70, from Germany first came to the festival in 1999. This year, he brought six of his friends to Morocco to celebrate his 71st birthday on Saturday.
Gnaoua Music Festival
“It’s my birthday present to myself,” he said.
The festival also attracts many Moroccans to celebrate their heritage and traditions.
Gnaoua festival
Mariam Att Taleb, 31, travels from her home city of Marrakech to Essaouira to participate in the festival every year.
Each time, she brings her now-ten-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son in the hopes that they might learn the “rich and special” culture of their country.
“I want them to learn about [our culture and Gnaoau] so that they , too, can pass it on to their children, God willing,” she said. 
Gnaoua Music Festival
Rebea Maghane, 43, expressed her immense pride in her homeland of Morocco. She traveled to the festival from Paris, France, where she has lived since she moved from her birthplace of Sale at 17-years-old. 
Gnaoua Music Festival
She said events like this festival are part of a pattern of Morrocans “cling[ing] tightly to their culture” and preserving a heritage that attracts people from around the world.
