Festivals in Morocco: the 2027 calendar of festivals, moussems and holidays
Every festival, moussem and public holiday of 2027 in Morocco, month by month: what is confirmed, what is still to be announced and which events are worth planning a trip around.
By Ismail9 min read
Morocco's 2027 calendar mixes a few fixed dates with many that move. Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year, is on 14 January; Ramadan is expected from about 8 February to 9 March; the Rose Festival comes in May; Eid al-Adha is expected around 17 May; the Gnaoua festival in Essaouira is confirmed for 24–26 June; the Imilchil moussem falls in late September or early October; and the Erfoud date fair closes the season in late October.
Two things to know before you book. Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar, come about 11 days earlier each year and are confirmed by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs only the evening before, once the new crescent moon has been sighted. And most festivals publish their dates a few weeks or months ahead, often only in the French and Arabic press. Below, every date is labelled: fixed, confirmed, expected (for the religious holidays) or not announced yet, with the last edition's real dates so you can see the pattern.
What is a moussem?
A moussem is a yearly gathering, usually around the shrine of a saint: a marabout, or the zaouia of a Sufi brotherhood. It mixes pilgrimage, a big market and a celebration: prayers at the shrine, rows of tents, livestock and craft stalls, music, dancing and, in many regions, tbourida. Many began as the one time in the year when scattered rural families met to trade, settle marriages and pray. Today the word also covers harvest festivals and cultural events, from roses and dates to Asilah's arts festival.
Three you may hear about:
- Moulay Abdallah Amghar, on the coast near El Jadida, every August: one of the largest tbourida gatherings in the country. In 2026, 134 troupes and 2,140 riders took part.
- Imilchil, in the eastern High Atlas, at the shrine of Sidi Hmad Oulmaghni, famous for its engagements and collective weddings. The legend and the practical side are in our guide to the Imilchil marriage festival.
- Tan-Tan, in the south: the great gathering of the nomadic tribes of the Sahara, with camels, tents and Hassani poetry, on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2008. Who still lives on the move today is in our guide to nomads in Morocco.
Tbourida, the "fantasia", is the highlight of many moussems. A troupe of 15 to 25 riders, the sorba, lines up side by side with its leader in the middle, gallops down the track and fires its muskets, loaded with powder only, at the same instant. A perfect volley sounds like a single shot, and the crowd judges it. UNESCO added tbourida to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.
The 2027 festival calendar, month by month
"Not announced" means the organisers had not published 2027 dates when we last checked, in early November 2026. Religious dates are astronomical forecasts until the moon is sighted.
| Month | Event and place | 2027 | Last edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Yennayer, Amazigh New Year, nationwide | 14 January, fixed | 14 January 2026 |
| February–March | Ramadan, nationwide | Expected about 8 February to 9 March | 19 February to 19 March 2026 |
| March | Eid al-Fitr, nationwide | Expected 10 March (+11 March) | 20 March 2026 |
| February or April | Almond blossom festival, Tafraout (Anti-Atlas) | Not announced, follows the blossom | April 2026; 23–25 February 2024 |
| April | Jidar street art festival, Rabat | Not announced (usually April) | 16–26 April 2026 |
| May | Rose Festival, Kelaat M'Gouna | Not announced (usually early May) | 7–10 May 2026 |
| May | Eid al-Adha, nationwide | Expected 17 May (+18 May), possibly 16 May | 27 May 2026 |
| May–June | Bilmawen (Boujloud) masked carnivals, Inezgane and Agadir | Not announced, in the days and weeks after Eid al-Adha | 28 May–1 June and 15–21 June 2026 |
| May–June | Fes Festival of World Sacred Music | Not announced (late May or early June) | 4–7 June 2026; 16–24 May 2025 |
| June | Islamic New Year, nationwide | Expected 6 June | — |
| June | Ashura, nationwide | Expected about 15 June | — |
| June | Mawazine, Rabat and Salé | Not announced (usually June) | 19–27 June 2026 |
| June | Cherry Festival, Sefrou (near Fes) | Not announced (June) | 24–27 June 2026 |
| June | Gnaoua and World Music Festival, Essaouira | 24–26 June, confirmed | 25–27 June 2026 |
| June–July | Asilah arts festival, summer session (murals) | Not announced | Ended 5 July 2026; 29 June–6 July 2025 |
| July | National Festival of Popular Arts, Marrakech | Not announced (early July) | 2–6 July 2026 |
| August | Total solar eclipse, northern Morocco | 2 August, fixed | — |
| August | Moussem of Moulay Abdallah Amghar, near El Jadida | Not announced (August) | 7–14 August 2026 |
| August | Mawlid, the Prophet's birthday, nationwide | Expected 15 August (+16 August) | 25 August 2026 |
| September–October | Imilchil moussem | Not announced (late September or early October) | 1–3 October 2026; 18–20 September 2025 |
| October | Salon du Cheval (horse show), El Jadida | Not announced (October) | 13–18 October 2026 |
| October–November | International Date Fair (SIDATTES), Erfoud | Not announced (late October) | 28 October–1 November 2026 |
| Varies | Moussem of Tan-Tan | Not announced, dates move | 30 October–3 November 2026; 14–18 May 2025 |
| November | Saffron festival, Taliouine | Not announced (November) | 20–23 November 2025 |
| November | Marrakech International Film Festival | Not announced (late November) | 20–28 November 2026 |
One date no organiser can move: on the morning of Monday 2 August 2027, a total solar eclipse crosses northern Morocco. Tangier gets almost five minutes of darkness, from about 09:45; Casablanca, Marrakech and the south see only a partial eclipse. Expect hotels in the north to fill early.
Public holidays in 2027, and what closes
| Date in 2027 | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Friday 1 January | New Year's Day |
| Monday 11 January | Independence Manifesto Day |
| Thursday 14 January | Yennayer, Amazigh New Year |
| Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March (expected) | Eid al-Fitr |
| Saturday 1 May | Labour Day |
| Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 May (expected) | Eid al-Adha |
| Sunday 6 June (expected) | Islamic New Year |
| Friday 30 July | Throne Day |
| Saturday 14 August | Oued Ed-Dahab Day |
| Sunday 15 and Monday 16 August (expected) | Mawlid |
| Friday 20 August | Revolution of the King and the People |
| Saturday 21 August | Youth Day |
| Sunday 31 October | Unity Day (Eid al-Wahda) |
| Saturday 6 November | Green March Day |
| Thursday 18 November | Independence Day |
On the national days, banks, post offices, government offices and schools close, but shops, souks, most restaurants and the main sights stay open, and our tours run as usual. The two Eids are different. Many small shops, cafés and souk stalls close for a day or more, longer around Eid al-Adha, when families travel home; buses and trains are full in the days before and after. Hotels, riads and restaurants used to visitors generally stay open. The religious dates in this table are provisional: the Ministry of Habous confirms each one the evening before.
Ramadan, Eid and Mawlid: the religious holidays
Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. For a month, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Days are quieter, the streets fill after the ftour, the meal that breaks the fast, and the 27th night, Laylat al-Qadr, fills the mosques. The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, a family day of new clothes, visits and pastries. The customs are in our guide to Ramadan traditions in Morocco, and what changes for a traveller, from opening hours to meals, in visiting Morocco during Ramadan.
Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, recalls Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son. Families who can afford it sacrifice a sheep, and the following days are given to family meals and visits. What you will see, and what it means for your trip, is in our article on Eid al-Adha in Morocco.
Mawlid celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on 12 Rabi al-Awwal. Families share a festive meal, and mosques and zaouias hold evenings of religious chant. In Salé, across the river from Rabat, the eve of Mawlid brings the candle procession: the Ben Hassoun family carries huge decorated candles through the medina to the shrine of Sidi Abdallah Ben Hassoun, a custom that goes back to the Saadian dynasty and was still held in 2025.
Ashura: the children's festival
Ashura falls on 10 Muharram, ten days after the Islamic New Year: about 15 June 2027. It is not a public holiday, but you will notice it. In the days before, the souks fill with taarija (small clay drums), toys and fakia, the mix of dried fruit and nuts that families buy for the occasion. Many households pay the zakat, the yearly alms, at this time and cook a seven-vegetable couscous with gueddid, meat dried after Eid al-Adha. On the eve, bonfires called chaala are lit in some neighbourhoods; the next morning, the day of Zamzam, children splash water on friends, neighbours and passers-by, so keep your camera in a bag. In Marrakech, troupes play dakka marrakchia, the city's Ashura music of taarija, bendir frame drums, qraqeb castanets and chanted verses. Our guide to Moroccan music tells you where to hear it the rest of the year.
Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year
Since 2024, 14 January has been a paid public holiday, after a royal decision announced on 3 May 2023. The Amazigh calendar starts in 950 BCE, the year tradition gives for the accession of the Amazigh king Sheshonq I to the throne of Egypt; the count was formalised in 1980, and 14 January 2027 opens the year 2977.
Families mark the evening with a shared meal: tagoula, a porridge of barley or maize served with butter, honey or argan oil, in the Atlas and the Souss, or a seven-vegetable couscous elsewhere. A date stone or an almond is hidden inside, and whoever finds it is said to be lucky for the year. The greeting is Aseggas amaynou, "new year", or Aseggas ighoudan, "happy new year". Associations organise concerts, ahwach dances and parades, especially in Agadir and the towns of the Souss. Who the Amazigh are is in our guide to the Amazigh (Berber) people of Morocco.
Which festivals are worth planning a trip around?
- The Rose Festival is the easiest to fit into a classic itinerary: Kelaat M'Gouna is on the road from Marrakech to the desert, and the roses bloom from late April to mid-May. The dates come late, so keep some flexibility. Our Rose Valley trek walks through the valley in bloom, and the festival itself is in our Rose Festival guide.
- The Gnaoua festival is the best known, and the only one with 2027 dates confirmed a year ahead. Essaouira's riads fill months in advance, so book early. Stages, tickets and where to stay are in our Gnaoua festival guide.
- Imilchil is remote, above 2,000 metres, with cold nights, and its dates come only weeks ahead: one for travellers with flexible time and a driver.
- The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music suits concert-goers: ticketed evening concerts in historic settings such as Bab Al Makina.
- The Erfoud date fair falls in late October, at the start of our favourite desert season, and Erfoud is on the road to Merzouga: our 5-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour can be timed for it.
- A summer moussem with tbourida, such as Moulay Abdallah Amghar in August, is a gift for photographers who can take the heat. Our guide to the best time to visit Morocco has the temperatures month by month.
Ramadan evenings and the two Eids are daily life, not shows: worth experiencing respectfully, as a guest, rather than something to "attend".
Tips for festival travel
- Book beds early: Kelaat M'Gouna and Imilchil have few rooms, Essaouira fills up for the Gnaoua weekend, and the best places go first.
- Check the dates again a month before you travel, then a week before: dates move, and some festivals skip a year.
- Carry cash: cash machines in small towns often run dry on festival weekends.
- Ask before you photograph people, especially women and anyone at a religious ceremony. Tbourida riders are used to cameras; families at a shrine are not.
- Dress modestly at moussems and religious events, with shoulders and knees covered; our guides on what to wear help you pack.
- A private driver makes remote festivals possible, and spares you the full buses around the Eids.
If a festival is the reason for your trip, send us your dates on WhatsApp: we will check the latest announcements and build the route around them.