Events and festivals in Marrakech
Marathon, ATP, film festival, comedy, folk arts: the dates that shape the year in Marrakech, with confirmed editions.
What's on in Marrakech in August
during your stayNo major date this August for now.
The next dates
IN 40 DAYS Sonara - Land of Sound
Three to five times a year, a garden estate at the gates of Marrakech turns into an open-sky dancefloor until the small hours.
TBC Ultra Trail Atlas Toubkal (UTAT)
Every first weekend of October, the Oukaïmeden ski resort, at two thousand six hundred metres, swaps its skiers for around a thousand trail runners come to race five formats in the High Atlas, from the accessible 12 km to the 105 km piling up 8,000 m of elevation.
NOV 2026 Marrakech International Film F…
In late November, the Palais des Congrès rolls out the red carpet and Jemaa el-Fna turns into an open-air cinema for a cumulative fifty thousand viewers.
JAN 2027 Marrakech International Marathon
Every last Sunday of January, the Koutoubia changes its noise: fifteen thousand runners lined up on Avenue Mohammed V, the muezzin's call in the cool dawn, a three-language countdown.
MAR 2027 ATP Marrakech, the Hassan II G…
In late March, the red clay of the Royal Tennis Club is put back in shape, the centre-court stands get a fresh cover, and the ATP calendar opens on its only African tournament.
TBC Marrakech Comedy Festival
8.
The headline dates
Recurring highlights, in calendar order. For each, an evergreen sheet: what it really is, how to get there, when not to come.
FESTIVAL PAST EDITION Origins Festival
Twice a year, an estate on the Ourika road tips into an open-sky dancefloor: three stages, house and melodic techno until daybreak, palm trees and pools as backdrop. Run by Art & Prod Event for several years, Origins Festival holds its slot among the most regular electronic fixtures in the Marrakech region, with a spring edition and a summer edition.
The sheet → FESTIVAL IN 40 DAYS Sonara - Land of Sound
Three to five times a year, a garden estate at the gates of Marrakech turns into an open-sky dancefloor until the small hours. Launched in July 2025, Sonara - Land of Sound is the newcomer of the Marrakech electronic scene, with a higher edition cadence than its neighbours but a calendar still shifting from one season to another.
The sheet → SPORT TBC Ultra Trail Atlas Toubkal (UTAT)
Every first weekend of October, the Oukaïmeden ski resort, at two thousand six hundred metres, swaps its skiers for around a thousand trail runners come to race five formats in the High Atlas, from the accessible 12 km to the 105 km piling up 8,000 m of elevation. Running since 2009, the Ultra Trail Atlas Toubkal remains the biggest nature race in Morocco.
The sheet → FESTIVAL NOV 2026 Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM)
In late November, the Palais des Congrès rolls out the red carpet and Jemaa el-Fna turns into an open-air cinema for a cumulative fifty thousand viewers. Created in 2001 by Mohammed VI and chaired by Prince Moulay Rachid, the Marrakech International Film Festival mixes a first-rank cinephile jury, debut features in competition and free open-air screenings for all.
The sheet → SPORT JAN 2027 Marrakech International Marathon
Every last Sunday of January, the Koutoubia changes its noise: fifteen thousand runners lined up on Avenue Mohammed V, the muezzin's call in the cool dawn, a three-language countdown. The Marrakech International Marathon has run without interruption since 1987.
The sheet → SPORT MAR 2027 ATP Marrakech, the Hassan II Grand Prix
In late March, the red clay of the Royal Tennis Club is put back in shape, the centre-court stands get a fresh cover, and the ATP calendar opens on its only African tournament. The Hassan II Grand Prix has run since 1984, in Marrakech since 2016, and earns its ticket as much for its steadily rising line-up as for its setting, three districts from Jemaa el-Fna.
The sheet → FESTIVAL TBC Marrakech Comedy Festival
8.30pm, a Friday in early June, the 3,000-seat hall of the Palais des Congrès settles into the dark, Malik Bentalha walks in stage right and opens the evening.
The sheet →Religious holidays and moving dates
Set on the Hijri calendar, they shift about 11 days earlier each year. They change the rhythm of the city - and sometimes the opening hours.
Ramadan
8 February to 8 March 2027Quiet daytime, lively evenings after breaking the fast. A more relaxed and often cheaper time to visit.
Travelling during Ramadan →Eid al-Fitr
≈ 9 March 2027The feast at the end of Ramadan. Many shops close for a day or two; the city empties, then gathers as families.
How it affects your stay →Mawlid
≈ 25 August 2026The Prophet's birthday (Mawlid al-Nabi), marked by processions and Sufi chants in some zaouias of the medina.
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