Essaouira Gnaoua, World Music Festival Kicks Off 25th Anniversary Edition

Essaouira – The highly anticipated 25th Anniversary edition of the Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival will launch this afternoon, marking a major milestone for this pioneering cultural event that has put Morocco on the global music map.

The festival, which will run from June 27-29, will bring together over 400 artists for three days of spectacular performances from Essaouira’s old medina to the beach.

The festivities will begin with the traditional opening parade at 6 p.m., led by the Gnaoua maâlems through the streets of Essaouira from Bab Doukkala.

This colorful spectacle will set the tone for the musical celebration to come, bringing together Gnaoua masters, young Moroccans, families, and tourists to share the love for this genre in a city known for its tolerance and vibrancy.

Day one: the lineup

At 8:30 p.m. on the Moulay Hassan Stage, the opening concert – the fruit of an exceptional artistic residency – will pay tribute to the festival’s spirit of mixity and fusion.

Maâlem Hassan Boussou and Maâlem Moulay Tayeb Dehbi will join forces with Ivory Coast’s Compagnie Dumanlé, and Spanish stars Nino de Los Reyes, Sergio Martinez and Brazil’s Ilê Aiyê for a performance uniting Morocco, the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Spain in a clever balance of multi-colored influences.

The evening will continue with Senegalese sensation Alune Wade at 10:45 p.m., followed by his fusion with young Maâlem Abdelmalek El Kadiri at midnight – a meeting of two African musical powerhouses.

Maâlem Saïd Kouyou will also take the stage at 9:30 p.m. while Maâlem Abdeslam Alikane, the festival’s artistic director and one of its founders, will close out the Moulay Hassan Stage at 12:30 a.m.

In more intimate venues around the medina, Dar Souiri will host performances by Maâlem Hamid Dkaki and Maâlem Mokhtar Guinea.

Meanwhile, at Bayt Dakira, recently restored as a symbol of Essaouira’s Judeo-Muslim heritage, audiences will enjoy the mastery of Maâlem Abdellah El Hommadi and Maâlem Rachid Ladhass.

More than the music

According to the press release, alongside its musical acts, the festival will remain dedicated to its mission of cultural dialogue and preservation of Gnaoua heritage.

In the next two days, it will host the 11th edition of its Human Rights Forum on the theme “Morocco, Spain, Portugal: a history that looks to the future”, as well as gatherings at the Talking Tree exhibit.

In an exciting new partnership, there will also be joint music mentoring sessions and discussions on Gnaoua culture in academia held by both Berklee College of Music and a university chair at UM6P.

The prestigious musical mentorship program, which began its sessions earlier this week, welcomes both Moroccan and global musicians from a robust applicant pool eager to develop their skills of the craft from top musical masters.

With an exciting lineup featuring international stars like the Brecker Brothers Band, Buika, Bokanté, as well as Moroccan stars Aïta Mon Amour and Labess, and top maâlems, this 25th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival promises to be a truly special celebration of musical passion and cultural exchange.