The old Mogador, become over time the crucible of various cultures, hosts since 1997 a festival that gives a large place to the talent of the Gnaoua (artists descendants of former slaves), other traditional Moroccan and African music. This festival of world music is a pioneer in the Moroccan cultural landscape.
Initially dedicated to Gnaoua music (that of artists descended from former slaves), this festival is now a meeting of traditional Moroccan music and world music. Well beyond the mysterious depth of the Gnaoua tradition, the festival uses other cultural and artistic traditions and allows musicians from all walks of life to combine their diversity for a real creative exchange and a dialogue of cultures.
On the program: outdoor concerts, training workshops, round tables, exhibitions and projections. The master musicians officiate all night singing and dancing until exhaustion. Music and art in all its forms fill the city, exhibitions multiply, orchestras improvise. Also on the agenda: symposia and debates, exhibitions, literature, poetry ... It is a musical and cultural event authentically Moroccan.
This festival born from the ambition to create a pole of discovery, meeting and training around the Gnaoua culture, has become an essential event, inseparable from the city of Essaouira, a kind of panorama of the new music scene. The festival is a real project of integrated cultural action, a space for meetings, research and training.
The interior of the ramparts is black of people: the festival can attract more than 300 000 people.