It's an official event: Gnaoua 2027 will take place from June 24 to 26 in Essaouira — the heritage enters into trance!

Since 1998, Essaouira has been the beating heart of thegnaoua culture. For three days and three nights, the maâlems — guardians of an ancestral art mixing rhythms, poetry and healing rituals — open their lilacs to musicians from around the world. Jazz, funk, blues, music from Brazil or Ethiopia: in Essaouira, fusions are born on stage, in the street, at the turn of a jam session facing the ocean. In 2019, gnaoui art was inscribed in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO — and this festival is the most beautiful of the living showcases.

The 2026 edition, under the sign of the port cities, brought together some 300,000 festivalgoers and more than 300 journalists from the five continents. Opening concert led by Mehdi Nassuli, creations between maâlems and guests from all over the world, tributes to the elders: the trance was total, the immense feast.

Note the dates: June 24-26, 2027. Festival TV is planning to plant its explorers — heart-crying and shoulder-camera!

— Moïse 1er, the Festival Explorer