Gnawa and World Music Festival in Essaouira
2009 Gnawa and World Music Festival dates are late June 2009
The Gnawa and World Music Festival in Essaouira, Morocco is an annual music festival that celebrates music from all over the globe. The festival, which takes place every year in June, is one of the most popular music festivals in Africa.
Now in its 12th year, the Gnawa and World Music Festival features 250 Moroccan artists and musicians and 150 musicians from other parts of the world.
In addition to music, the Gnawa and World Music Festival offers artistic and cultural events, as well as conferences and meetings
NY Times on Essaouira Music Festival
Rockin’ the Casbah
By STEVE DOUGHERTY
FROM his perch on a rooftop terrace near the crenelated western ramparts of the walled city, a visitor from England watched the sun set in spectacular display over the Atlantic Ocean. As it disappeared on the cloudless horizon, the sun’s rays cast a golden glow on a rising crescent moon decorated on the eve of the summer solstice by a silvery alignment of planets and stars.
“Nice touch, that,” quipped Bill Corbett, a 39-year-old London photographer, D.J. and music fanatic whose visit to Essaouira, an exotic, wind- and sun-swept Moroccan city on the northwest coast of Africa, for the 10th-annual Gnawa and World Music Festival, would prove a transforming experience. “This really is a midsummer night’s dream.”
Les Bains de Marrakech Hammam
2, Derb Sedra, Bab Agnaou, Kasbah, Marrakech
Les Bains de Marrakech Phone: + 212 (0) 44 38 14 28
Les Bains de Marrakech Opening Hours: 9am-8pm every day
Les Bains de Marrakech is a chic, stylish hammam in Marrakech’s Kasbah. Located off a main street down a small alley, visiting the hammam feels like you’re being transported into a world of peace and tranquility. After spending time in Marrakech’s bustling Medina, Les Bains de Marrakech will be a welcome haven.
Try a refreshing oriental bath or a romantic couples’ steam bath (600dhs), followed by an ultra-relaxing massage (250-700dhs). For a more traditional Moroccan experience, go for one of the luxurious hammam treatments (150-450dhs). While you wait, enjoy the central patio area while reclining on a sofa sipping Moroccan mint tea or ice water.
