Essaouira's Gnaoua Festival opens 2026 with international performances

The 27th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival began on Thursday, 25 June, in the Moroccan port city of Essaouira. The opening ceremony featured a traditional parade through the medina, followed by a collaborative concert that brought together Maâlem Mehdi Nassouli, Moroccan singer Sara Moullablad, Indian vocalist Ganavya, Rwandan troupe i Buhoro and French musician Sylvain Barou. Later that night the Casablanca band Hoba Hoba Spirit closed the show.

The three‑day event hosts 43 maâlems and close to 460 artists from Morocco, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and the Arab world, drawing thousands of festival‑goers. Headliners include Richard Bona, Carlinhos Brown, Yasmine Hamdan, 47Soul, The Harlem Spirit of Gospel and Asma Lamnawar. In addition to concerts, the festival runs the 13th Forum on Human Rights themed “Youth of the world: freedom, identity, future”, a Berklee College of Music program for young musicians, and a research chair in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The Gnaoua tradition, listed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list since 2019, continues to serve as a bridge between diverse musical cultures.