What's on in Marrakesh (Marrakech), Morocco through the year

Busy — between the peaks, Marrakech Marathon

• Festival

  Marrakech Marathon

  24 Jan – 2 Feb · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  Fifteen thousand runners on a flat late-January course through the palm groves. The roads around the medina walls close for the morning. Source ↗

Still on: Snow on the Atlas passes (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Marrakech Marathon

• Nature

  Almond blossom

  1 Feb – 5 Mar · usuallyCherry blossom

  The valleys south towards the Atlas flower first, around Tahanaout and on the road to Ourika, and it is the first sign the mountain passes will open again.

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  17 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Much of the medina closes during the day and the square only comes alive after the sunset call. Riads and tourist restaurants keep serving, so the catch is timing, not access. Source ↗

Still on: Marrakech Marathon (24 Jan – 2 Feb (usually)), Snow on the Atlas passes (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Ramadan

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  19–21 MarRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Two or three days when the souk shuts and Moroccan families travel. The city is at its most domestic and least commercial for the duration. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Easter week

  29 Mar – 5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  European school holidays fill the riads at the best time of year for the medina. Rates are at their highest and the good courtyard houses go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Almond blossom (1 Feb – 5 Mar (usually)), Ramadan (17 Feb – 19 Mar), Snow on the Atlas passes (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Easter week

• Nature

  Rose harvest in the Dades valley

  20 Apr – 31 May · usually

  The Damask roses south of the Atlas are picked at dawn through late April and May, and Kelaat M'Gouna holds its rose festival at the height of it.

Still on: Easter week (29 Mar – 5 Apr)

Busy — between the peaks, Fourth interim break (May) in Morocco

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Rose harvest in the Dades valley (20 Apr – 31 May (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in Morocco

• Hazard

  The chergui

  15 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyDust season

  A dry easterly off the Sahara that adds several degrees to an already extreme month and fills the air with dust. It decides whether the medina is walkable at all. Source ↗

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in Morocco

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: The chergui (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Summer holidays in Morocco

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The chergui (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Summer holidays in Morocco

• Nature

  Date harvest in the oases

  15 Sep – 31 Oct · usually

  The palmeries south of the mountains, around Skoura and the Draa, bring in the crop as the heat finally goes out of the day.

Still on: The chergui (15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, First interim break (October) in Morocco

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Date harvest in the oases (15 Sep – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Marrakech Film Festival

• Nature

  Olive harvest

  1 Nov – 31 Dec · usually

  The presses in the villages below the Atlas run the new olives from November, and the first oil of the year turns up on every breakfast table in the city. Source ↗

• Closure

  Snow on the Atlas passes

  1 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyRisk

  Tichka and Test can close at short notice after a snowfall from November through March, which cuts the road to Ouarzazate and the desert. Check before committing to a two-day loop over the mountains. Source ↗

• Festival

  Marrakech Film Festival

  25 Nov – 10 Dec · usuallyCrowded

  A week of screenings at the end of November or the start of December, including free ones on a big screen in Jemaa el-Fna. The riads price for it. Source ↗

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Marrakech Film Festival

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Olive harvest (1 Nov – 31 Dec (usually)), Snow on the Atlas passes (1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), Marrakech Film Festival (25 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))