Meknes Hosts 2025 Aissawa Festival Celebrating Moroccan Sufi Heritage

Meknes reclaims its place as a spiritual capital with the launch of the 2025 Aissawa Festival.

Fez – Meknes is preparing to welcome the fifth edition of the Aissawa Festival, officially titled “Aissawa: Maqamat and World Rhythms,” from July 23 to 26, 2025.

Under the banner “Meknes, Land of Sufism,” this year’s event aims to reaffirm the city’s role as a spiritual and cultural hub, rooted in centuries-old Moroccan Sufi traditions.

Organized by the Fez-Meknes Regional Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, local authorities, and the Association Meknes Cultures, the festival will span several iconic venues in the city, including Bab Mansour Square, Place La Kouira, and Fqih Mennouni Hall.

These historic settings will be animated by vibrant performances from more than 35 Aissawa troupes representing diverse Moroccan regions.

This year’s edition expands beyond borders, inviting Sufi groups from Tunisia and Libya to join the celebrations, highlighting the festival’s growing pan-Maghreb dimension and its openness to global rhythms and spiritual expression.

The program isn’t just musical. The festival offers a deep dive into Morocco’s intangible heritage with a rich lineup of cultural, academic, and artistic events.

A central part of the program includes panel discussions on contemporary topics like Sufism’s relationship with justice and migration.

Another major highlight is a symposium dedicated to the Moroccan monarch’s longstanding support for preserving Sufi heritage at both the national and continental levels.

On the artistic side, fans can expect large-scale concerts featuring major Arab and Moroccan stars.

Emirati-Yemeni singer Balqees Fathi will headline the opening night on July 23, in a performance that’s expected to draw large crowds, especially given her popularity among Moroccan audiences.

Adding further depth to the festival’s mission, this year will also see the announcement of a new initiative: the creation of the “Aissawa Heritage Academy.”

Meknes as a living center of Sufi thought and Moroccan spiritual creativity

The project is designed to scientifically and artistically preserve and promote the legacy of the Aissawa brotherhood, ensuring it continues to inspire future generations.

Other features on the agenda include traditional exhibitions, memory houses focusing on the ethics and values of Sufism, film screenings, and heritage displays, all working together to tell the broader story of Morocco’s spiritual identity.

At its core, the Aissawa Festival repositions Meknes not only as a historical city but also as a living center of Sufi thought and Moroccan spiritual creativity.

With each edition, the festival seeks to become a stage where memory, music, and modernity come together to remind us that Morocco’s cultural roots can sing, speak, and dance.