The Gnaoua Music Festival has officially opened it’s waiting list for 2020. Each year, the 18th century Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira hosts a groundbreaking music festival celebrating the heritage and tradition of Gnaoua. The North African event offers a musical platform for Gnaoua Maalems (master musicians) and renowned international artists with exemplary jazz, pop, rock, and world music backgrounds. Some artists who have graced the stage of past Gnaoua Festivals are Hindi Zara, Ismaël Lô, Maâlem Mohamed Kouyou, David Aubaile, Tinariwen, Issaoua of Meknes and Majid Bekkas Afo Gnaoua Jazz Ensemble.
Deeply rooted in North African styles and sounds, the festival is a vibrant and immersive experience, filling the city’s streets, squares, docks and performance venues with a fantastic extravaganza of sound and color.
The Gnaoua Essaouira Festival will take place in the summer of 2020 with a program set to feature a variety of musical styles ranging from Cuban to Tamil, Jazz, Flamenco, Sufi, and Reggae. Gnaoua is a form of heritage music that originates from North African Islamic spiritual and religious songs. Its roots can be traced to sub-Saharan West-Africa, however, its practice is concentrated in Morocco.