Planning a trip to Morocco this fall and want to understand the country beyond its monuments? Good news: the Marrakech events and Essaouira events from late September to December 2026 are so many gateways into Moroccan culture. For this agenda, we made a clear choice: we only kept the events that teach you something about Morocco, its history, its memory and the people who keep it alive today. Short films from the new generation of Moroccan filmmakers, Moroccan voices accompanied by percussion, family and colonial archives revisited, a Judeo-Arab-Andalusian heritage celebrated in Essaouira: each of these events easily fits into your Morocco trip itinerary, between a stroll through the medina and a meeting with an artisan. Here are the Marrakech and Essaouira events worth noting to enrich your stay.
Marrakech Events: Cinema, Music and Contemporary Art in the Heart of the Ocher City
Marrakech Short Film Festival: Moroccan Short Films in the Spotlight
For its sixth edition, the Marrakech Short Film Festival puts Moroccan cinema front and center: sixteen short films by Moroccan directors compete in the national competition, whose jury is chaired by actor and director Rachid El Ouali. The competition screenings take place outdoors at Cyber Parc, in the heart of the city: a great chance to discover how the new generation of filmmakers sees today's Morocco. At the same time, the Institut français hosts Bridges of Reality for free, a new section devoted to African documentary and the diasporas. An ideal Marrakech event to kick off the cultural season, between two medina visits.
- Dates: From September 25 to 30, 2026 (competitions at Cyber Parc from September 26 to 29)
- Location: Cyber Parc (Moulay Abdessalam garden) for the competitions, Institut français for Bridges of Reality
- Price: Festival pass from 50 MAD (students) to 600 MAD (VIP); Bridges of Reality section free of charge
- More info:if-maroc.org/marrakech
Oum in Concert
Few Moroccan voices are as recognizable as Oum's. For this stop at the Maison Denise Masson, she immerses her audience in the stripped-down world of Dialddar, a homemade album where song and percussion are enough to evoke the fundamentals of Moroccan music. One of the season's most anticipated musical events in Marrakech.
- Dates: Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 8 pm
- Location: Maison Denise Masson, Marrakech
- Price: Flat rate of 100 MAD (free with the Youth Pass, subject to availability)
- More info: if-maroc.org/marrakech
- Buy a ticket: at the Institut français reception or online at Wanaut
Marrakech Jazz Experience: Jazz in Moroccan Colors
Three evenings, three perspectives on the Moroccan jazz scene: the Rabat band Urban Folklore blends jazz, kora and percussion, Salé saxophonist Othman El Kheloufi slips Moroccan sounds into his compositions, and French-Moroccan Axel Camil Hachadi explores the links between contemporary jazz and Morocco's musical traditions. It's one of the most anticipated Marrakech events for live music lovers this fall, on the brand-new parquet floor of the Meydene theater.
- Dates: From October 30 to November 1, 2026 (one evening per artist)
- Location: Meydene Theater, Marrakech
- Price: About 200 MAD per evening
- More info: guichet.com
"Le Futur qui était" by Mehdi Sefrioui
This exhibition spans fifteen years of the Moroccan artist's work, across photography, textile, installation, archives and artificial intelligence. Drawing on family stories, colonial archives and vernacular knowledge, it questions how images shape our memory and our ability to imagine the future. One of the season's free Marrakech events, to be seen at your own pace.
- Dates: From November 12, 2026 to January 23, 2027
- Location: Institut français de Marrakech
- Price: Free entry, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm
- More info: if-maroc.org/marrakech
23rd Marrakech International Film Festival
Nine days of international cinema and an official competition bringing together guests from around the world: the FIFM is probably still the most anticipated Marrakech event of the fall. It's also a fine showcase for Moroccan cinema: at the 2025 edition, fifteen Moroccan productions were on the program, including seven films gathered in the Panorama of Moroccan Cinema section. The full program for the 2026 edition had not yet been announced at the time of writing.
- Dates: From November 20 to 28, 2026
- Location: Palais des Congrès and Le Colisée cinema, Marrakech (venues of the latest editions, to be confirmed for 2026)
- • Price: All screenings are free, with an e-Pass to be requested in advance on the festival website; arrive 30 minutes before the screening (subject to availability)
- More info: marrakech-festival.com
Essaouira Events: Andalusian Memory and Contemporary Art Facing the Atlantic
Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques
Every fall, Essaouira reconnects with its Judeo-Arab-Andalusian heritage for some twenty concerts, including the classical "Al Ala" repertoire, an evening honoring the great Judeo-Maghrebi voices, and flamenco incursions. The 2025 edition was held from October 30 to November 2 at Dar Souiri and in the city's partner venues: the exact dates for the 2026 edition had not yet been made official at the time this article was written, but this event, one of the most anticipated Essaouira events, generally returns around the same time.
- Dates: to be confirmed, usually late October to early November (2025 edition: October 30 to November 2)
- Location: Dar Souiri and partner venues, Essaouira
- Price: to be checked
- More info: vivre-essaouira.com
Casablanca International Biennale, Essaouira Edition
For the first time in its history, the Casablanca International Biennale leaves the economic capital to settle in Essaouira, with around eighty Moroccan and international artists on the program, spread across several landmark venues in the city, including the Ifitry residence. A first-ever Essaouira event that closes the year in style and confirms the city's growing place in the Moroccan contemporary art scene.
- Dates: From December 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027
- Location: Several venues in Essaouira, including the Ifitry residence
- Price: to be checked (usually free access for a public biennale)
- More info: biennalecasablanca.org
Whether you're more into outdoor Moroccan short films at Cyber Parc or Moroccan jazz at the Meydene theater, digital archive exhibitions or Andalusian repertoire at Dar Souiri, the Marrakech events and the Essaouira events of this end of 2026 confirm once again the cultural vitality of both cities. Want to extend the discovery beyond the theaters and galleries? Book a Petite Expérience in Marrakech or Essaouira to meet, over a workshop or a stroll through the medina, the people who keep these traditions alive every day.