Marrakesh Medina hosts Samaa Festival from 3 December
Published on 11/14/2026 at 13:20 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFestival dates and medina setting
- Association Al Muniya organises Samaa Festival from 3 to 6 December 2026.
- The programme combines Sufi music, reflection and discussions in Marrakesh Medina.
- UNESCO recorded restoration progress at the World Heritage property in 2026.
Marrakesh Medina (Médina de Marrakech) will host the 15th Samaa Festival from 3 to 6 December 2026, bringing spiritual and Sufi music to Morocco’s old city. The programme is organised by the Al Muniya Association of Marrakesh and links performances with reflection and contemplation.
Samaa Festival brings Sufi music to Marrakesh Medina
The festival begins on Thursday 3 December and ends on Sunday 6 December 2026. The official Marrakech tourism guide lists the historic medina as the location and identifies the Al Muniya Association of Marrakesh as the organiser.
The four-day programme is presented around Samaa and Sufi music, with major voices performing in emblematic monuments of the old city. It also includes intellectual forums and discussions connected with Sufism and the heritage of old medinas, alongside spaces for meditation and artistic transmission. The official festival listing gives the dates, location and organiser.
A World Heritage setting shaped by restoration work
The event takes place within a medina whose historic fabric includes monuments, public spaces, religious buildings and traditional urban routes. That setting matters to the festival because its announced programme places music and discussion within the old city rather than at a single modern concert venue.
UNESCO identifies the Medina of Marrakesh as a World Heritage property. In a decision from 2026, the World Heritage Committee noted progress on conservation and restoration after the earthquake of 8 September 2023, while requesting technical documentation and a consolidated schedule for interventions. The decision also refers to restoration work concerning Koutoubia Mosque and asks for further consideration of parking projects near the property. UNESCO’s 2026 conservation decision places the festival setting within an active heritage-management context.
The festival connects music with the old city’s heritage
Samaa’s announced combination of spiritual music, meditation and discussion gives the December programme a direct relationship with the medina’s religious and architectural heritage. The date also places the festival after the latest UNESCO conservation decision, making restoration an important part of the setting in which visitors encounter the old city.
The tourism authority has not published a monument-by-monument timetable on the event listing. Individual performance locations and daily schedules therefore remain less specific than the four confirmed festival dates. The available announcement identifies the historic medina broadly, rather than promising access to one named monument for every session.
Visiting Marrakesh Medina: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Samaa Festival runs from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December 2026 in the historic medina of Marrakesh.
- The announced access point is the medina as a district; individual monuments, rooms and daily session arrangements have not been specified on the official listing.
- The programme is organised by the Al Muniya Association of Marrakesh and includes Sufi music, forums and meditation-related spaces.
- Marrakesh is in Morocco, where the official languages are Arabic and Amazigh and the national currency is the Moroccan dirham.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Marrakesh Medina on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Marrakesh Medina
When does Samaa Festival take place at Marrakesh Medina?
The 15th Samaa Festival runs from 3 to 6 December 2026. The Al Muniya Association of Marrakesh organises it in the historic medina.
What is Marrakesh Medina?
It is the historic old city of Marrakesh and a UNESCO World Heritage property. Its setting includes traditional urban routes, monuments and religious buildings.
Where is Marrakesh Medina and how do you get there?
The medina is in Marrakesh, Morocco. The festival listing confirms the historic medina as its venue but does not specify a single entrance or daily route.
