Morocco's most celebrated music festival, held annually in the coastal city of Essaouira. The Gnaoua Festival brings together master Gnaoua musicians with international jazz, blues, rock, and world music artists for three days of unprecedented musical fusion. Founded in 1998, it has grown into one of Africa's largest festivals, drawing up to 500,000 visitors.
The festival has been instrumental in gaining international recognition for Gnaoua music, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019. It bridges ancient African spiritual traditions with global contemporary music.