Marrakech – The 19th edition of the Mawazine Festival – Rhythms of the World has been hailed as a resounding success, marked by memorable concerts, defining moments, and a record-breaking attendance of over 2.5 million festival-goers, according to the Maroc Cultures Association.
Held from June 20 to 29 in Rabat and Salé, under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, the festival attracted more than 2,500,000 attendees from Morocco and abroad. According to the organizers, the Maroc Cultures Association, festival goers came to celebrate music and witness performances by over 200 artists in Rabat and Salé.
The association, quoted by the press, highlighted that this record attendance confirms Mawazine’s exceptional international popularity and its status as one of the most attended music festivals worldwide. The festival’s open-to-all, free, unifying, and values-driven model was once again praised.
For two weeks, Mawazine hosted extraordinary performances by artists from around the globe, demonstrating the exceptional enthusiasm they generate among the Moroccan public.
The festival received extensive media coverage, with over 800 journalists present and an average of more than 2,000 media mentions per month, underscoring Mawazine’s significance as a major artistic event on the media scene.
Maroc Cultures also noted the festival’s strong presence on social networks, with Mawazine trending at the top of searches, reinforcing its global impact and consolidating its worldwide reach. The presence of international influencers confirmed the festival’s appeal to content creators eager to showcase the event while leveraging its popularity.
The 19th edition of Mawazine was further characterized by strengthened partnerships, including Spotify and Tripadvisor, amplifying the festival’s global reach and providing a platform for Moroccan talents to shine internationally.
Throughout the festival, collaborative moments between stars and festival-goers were prevalent, with highlights including Metro Booming’s masterful prowess, ATEEZ’s electrifying show, Central Cee’s resplendent performance in a traditional Moroccan jellaba, Burna Boy’s flow, Camila Cabello’s communion with her audience, Calvin Harris’s pulsating rhythms, and Nicki Minaj’s triumphant show at the OLM Souissi stage.
The American rapper expressed her pride following the resounding success of her concert, which drew approximately 200,000 people. On her Instagram account, Minaj shared several photos from her performance, remarking, “It’s been one of my greatest experiences. Such an honor.”
The Mohammed V National Theater served as a meeting point for diversity, featuring a spectacular hologram performance by Oum Kalthoum that dazzled the audience, an exceptional show by Samira Said, and renowned artists such as Carole Samaha, Marwan Khoury, Badr Rami, Gregory Porter, and Yuri Buenaventura. These artists captivated their audiences and transformed the theater into an immense dance and song venue.
The Nahda stage was equally vibrant, with rapper Balti’s engaging lyrics as well as Haifa Wehbe’s tears of joy and emotion upon discovering her Moroccan audience. Balqees forged an unbreakable bond with her spectators while performing several iconic Moroccan songs including “Ya Bladi,” and the stage also showcased the frenetic rhythms of Ahmed Saad and Mohamed Ramadan, as well as the climactic performances of Douzi and Aminux.
Moroccan artists Najat Aatabou, Saida Charaf, Zina Daoudia, Fatima Tabaamrant, Muslim, Said Senhaji, Abdelaziz Stati, Hamid Kassri, and Mocci were a hit in Salé, showcasing the richness and diversity of the national music scene to the enthusiastic cheers of their fans in an atmosphere of unity.
At the Bouregreg stage, a variety of world rhythms were celebrated with the participation of iconic figures like OMAH LAY, James BKS, Nana Benz from Togo, Fatoumata Diawara, and Angélique Kidjo. Artists such as La fève, Didi B, Luidji, Yamé, Ayra Starr, and Too Fan connected with their Moroccan audience, sometimes inviting them on stage to perform alongside their favorite artists.
“Thanks to this collective mobilization, Mawazine 2024 was a total triumph, marking a new memorable page in the festival’s history,” the statement concluded.
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