Shows in Marrakech: dinner shows, fantasia and Gnawa music

Jemaa el-Fna: the halqas, the city's first show

Marrakech's oldest show is free and plays every day on Jemaa el-Fna square. In the late afternoon, onlookers form circles, the halqas, around a performer or a troupe. This oral tradition is what led UNESCO, in 2001, to proclaim the square a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

What you will see in the circles

• Storytellers: standing in the middle of the circle, they tell epic tales, fables or stories of everyday life in Darija, miming the characters. Even without understanding the language, you can follow the acting and the audience's reactions.
• Gnawa musicians: in colourful tunics and caps decorated with cowrie shells, they play qraqeb, heavy iron castanets, and drums, sometimes with a guembri, the three-stringed lute of their repertoire. Some spin the tassel of their cap as they dance.
• Acrobats: troupes of tumblers build human pyramids and string together leaps on the ground, a tradition carried by the acrobats of the Souss.
• Popular bands: singers, violins and Amazigh or chaabi percussion, often the liveliest circles in the evening.

The halqas form in the late afternoon and are at their best between sunset and late evening, when the square is at its busiest.

Understand before you watch

The Museum of Intangible Heritage, housed in the former State Bank on the south side of the square, presents the hlaiqis, the halqa performers, their trades and the history of the square. Admission is 40 DH for foreign visitors, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm: a visit in the late afternoon, followed by the square at dusk, makes a natural sequence.

Good manners

If you stay in a circle or film, give a few dirhams when the hat comes round: it is the performers' only income. Keep away from snake charmers and monkey handlers if you do not want to pay for a photo. The crowd is dense: keep your phone in a front pocket.

Gnawa music and traditional concerts

Musical evenings at the Mouassine Museum

The Mouassine Museum, now called the Music Museum of Marrakech, holds small concerts in its douiria, the reception apartment with painted cedar ceilings. The usual rhythm is Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm to 7pm, with a programme that alternates Arab-Andalusian, Gnawa and Amazigh music; over the end-of-year holidays, concerts become daily. There are two packages: concert with mint tea at 120 DH, or concert followed by a traditional meal (salad, tagine, dessert) at 300 DH. Seats are few: book through the museum's form or on WhatsApp. It is the best way to hear this music seated, acoustically and in a small audience.

Gnawa, from the square to the lila

Gnawa music, inscribed by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019, has two faces. On the square and in the dinner shows, you hear its festive form, short and rhythmic. Its ritual form is the lila, an all-night ceremony of music and trance held in a home or a zaouia. It is not a ticketed show: you attend by invitation, usually through a musician or your riad, staying discreet and asking before taking any photo.

Storytelling at Café Clock

In the Kasbah, at 224 Derb Chtouka, Café Clock keeps the hikaya, the art of storytelling, alive. Every Thursday at 7pm, the apprentices trained by storyteller Haj Ahmed Ezzarghani tell traditional tales in Darija and English. Admission is free; you order a tea or a meal on site. Arrive a little early, as the room fills up quickly.

Dinner shows: how to choose

Three questions guide the choice: do you want to see horses (fantasia), belly dancing in a party atmosphere, or a quiet evening under the stars? Our guide Marrakech by night places them within a full evening out; here is the detail of what you see.

Chez Ali: fantasia on a grand scale

At the entrance to the Palmeraie, on the Casablanca road, Chez Ali seats hundreds of guests in caidal tents. During dinner (mechoui or tagine depending on the package), folk troupes from different regions move from tent to tent. Around 10:30pm, everyone heads to the arena: charges of riders firing their powder muskets in unison (tbourida, inscribed by UNESCO in 2021), trick riding, belly dancing, then fireworks. Doors open at 8pm, every evening. Expect about €40 to €60 per person depending on the menu, drinks not included, with a return transfer from your hotel usually included. It is a mass-audience show, designed for groups and families.

Comptoir Darna: belly dancing and Gnawa at the table

On avenue Echouhada, in Hivernage, Comptoir Darna is a festive restaurant rather than a theatre. From 8pm, an acoustic band plays Arab-Andalusian classics; the belly dancers and Gnawa musicians perform around 9:30pm and again around 11:20pm, before the patio turns into a club. The venue quotes an average budget of 600 to 900 DH per person, drinks included, with no separate show ticket. Children are welcome at the first sitting, around 7pm, as the atmosphere then gets very loud. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours ahead.

Dar Soukkar: a palace on the edge of town

At kilometre 3.5 on the Ourika road, the Dar Soukkar palace serves Moroccan, Mediterranean or Asian dinners every evening from 7:30pm, punctuated by belly dancers, Gnawa musicians and fire performers. The hall is huge and service runs until 2am. Dinner is booked online, with a deposit. Evening dress is required (no flip-flops, shorts, sandals or caps) and children are admitted only Monday to Thursday.

Evenings at the Agafay camps

About 40 km south-west of the city, the camps of the Agafay desert offer another kind of show: sunset over the stony hills, dinner in a tent, then musicians around the fire. Evening packages cost about 250 to 600 DH per person, sometimes with transfer. Before booking, check the return time and what the advertised music involves: some camps host a band every night, others only on certain nights.

Festivals: the big nights of the year

The National Festival of Popular Arts brings together troupes from across Morocco every summer: ahwach from the South, Middle Atlas dances, Saharan songs. Its 55th edition took place from 2 to 6 July 2026. On the first night, a parade runs from avenue Mohammed V to the El Badi Palace, whose great courtyard then hosts the evening shows, from around 9pm. Tickets, from 30 DH in 2026, were sold online on the Wanaut platform. The 2027 dates have not yet been announced.

In November, the International Film Festival (20 to 28 November 2026) offers free screenings, subject to available seats. The year's other events are listed in our Marrakech events calendar.

Theatre and cinema in the new town

The Royal Theatre

Opposite the railway station, the Royal Theatre of Marrakech, designed by Charles Boccara, is recognisable by its dome and ochre brick walls. Only the exterior and the open-air amphitheatre of about 1,200 seats were inaugurated, in 2001; the opera hall has never been used, and completion works resumed in 2025. There is no regular season: the venue occasionally hosts concerts and festivals, announced by the organisers and sold on Moroccan online ticketing platforms. The rest of the time, you admire it from outside.

Institut français and Le Colisée cinema

The Institut français de Marrakech, on route de la Targa in Guéliz, programmes screenings, concerts, theatre and exhibitions all year round, and hosts a free Fête de la Musique in its gardens on 20 June. Le Colisée cinema, on boulevard Mohammed Zerktouni in Guéliz, shows recent films, often in the original version with French subtitles, as well as Moroccan films. Tickets cost 40 DH in the stalls (30 DH on Mondays) and 50 DH in the balcony.

Booking, dress and getting back: practical tips

• Booking: in high season (spring, European school holidays, the end of the year), book dinner shows several days ahead, directly with the venue or through your riad. Booking is mandatory for the Mouassine Museum concerts.
• Dress: trousers and closed shoes for men at the dinner shows in Hivernage and on the Ourika road; no shorts or flip-flops. Bring a jacket for Agafay and for the fantasia, both outdoors.
• Transfers: the Chez Ali and Agafay camp packages often include the shuttle. Otherwise, take a petit taxi on the meter; at night a 50% surcharge applies.
• Ramadan: Jemaa el-Fna comes alive mainly after the fast is broken, and show times may change during the month; ask for the programme when booking. In 2027, Ramadan is expected to run from about 8 February to 9 March. Our guide Ramadan in Marrakech explains what changes.

Summary: which show to choose

Prices checked in October 2026.

Further reading

For a first stay, keep one evening for Jemaa el-Fna and its halqas, and pick a single dinner show to suit you: fantasia with children, Comptoir Darna among adults, Agafay for peace and quiet. For terraces, bars and clubs, read our guide Marrakech by night; to time your trip with a festival, see the Marrakech events calendar.