The Gnaoua and World Music Festival returns in 2026 with a focus on port cities and the cultural links created through sea trade.
Organisers say this year’s edition will connect Essaouira with other coastal cities across the world, including in Brazil, India, the United States, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lebanon and Palestine. The idea is to highlight how music and culture have travelled and mixed through maritime routes.
At the centre of the festival are the Gnaoua Maâlems, traditional master musicians whose art has been passed down for generations and is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The event opens with the traditional Maâlems parade, which fills the streets of the medina with music and movement, followed by a main concert on the Moulay Hassan stage. It will be led by Mehdi Nassouli and will bring together artists from Rwanda, India, France and Morocco, including Sara Moullablad, Ganavya and Sylvain Barou.
New musical collaborations
This year’s programme puts a strong focus on new collaborations and live musical experiments.
Among the planned performances, Mohamed Montari will play alongside Badume’s Band and Selamnesh Zemene. Mehdi Qamoum will perform with the Harlem Spirit of Gospel, led by Anthony Morgan.
There will also be a collaboration between bassist Richard Bona and Moroccan singer Asma Lmnawar, as well as a fusion set between Hamid El Kasri and Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown.
The festival will also honour Gnaoua master Mustapha Baqbou, who died in 2025, with a special tribute performance involving several Maâlems.
More than 400 artists are expected to take part in total, including 42 Maâlems, alongside acts such as Yasmine Hamdan, Hoba Hoba Spirit and Oudaden.
Talks and training programme
Alongside music, the festival’s Human Rights Forum will return with discussions under the theme “Youth of the World: Freedom, Identity, Future”. Speakers include Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Rachid Benzine and Leïla Slimani.
The festival has also confirmed a new edition of its partnership with Berklee College of Music. The training programme, running from 22 to 27 June, brings together professional musicians for intensive workshops. Since 2024, it has hosted 118 participants from 30 countries, strengthening Essaouira’s role as a UNESCO Creative City of Music.
A city shaped by the sea
Organisers say the focus on port cities reflects Essaouira’s own history as a trading hub, once known as Mogador, and shaped by maritime exchange since the 18th century.
The Gnaoua tradition itself comes from communities descended from West Africans brought to Morocco centuries ago. Its music mixes spiritual rituals, African rhythms and local influences.
Key instruments include the guembri, a three stringed instrument, and the krakebs, metal castanets that create a sharp, rhythmic sound.
The festival continues to grow as both a cultural event and a way of preserving a musical tradition that remains central to Moroccan heritage.
