Fez — Over four days (September 18–21), L’Boulevard packed the Racing Universitaire de Casablanca (R.U.C.) with more than 40,000 attendees, confirming the festival’s popularity after a rap-heavy opening night and a genre-spanning bill. Organizers and local media estimate the 2025 attendance was over 40K, with crowds cycling between afternoon competition sets and evening concerts.
The lineup mixed Moroccan names with guests from Europe, North Africa, and the Caribbean. Highlights included 7ari, Loun, Madd, Mehdi Black Wind, Soukaina Fahsi, Saad Tiouly, and desert-blues star Bombino, alongside Gorod (France), Katatonia (Sweden), Queen Omega & The Royal Souls (Trinidad and Tobago), Zar Electrik and Bohemian Betyars. All main-stage shows ran at the R.U.C., keeping the focus on live performance while the festival’s creative souk activated workshops and community stands.
At the heart of L’Boulevard is the Tremplin, a talent incubator that drew 340 submissions this year and shortlisted 15 finalists across three categories: rap/hip-hop, fusion & contemporary, and rock/metal.
The 2025 jury awarded first place in rap/hip-hop to Al 7assan (Agadir), with Vlien (Salé) runner-up; in fusion & contemporary, Imadriwen (Ouarzazate) took top honors ahead of Badil (Mohammedia); and in rock/metal, Manic Attack (Témara) won, with New Hate (Casablanca) second. Winners receive cash prizes and professional support, including training and studio time—hallmarks of the program since its launch.
Festival coverage emphasized L’Boulevard’s blend of established acts and first-timers: a stage where Moroccan rap dominates the submissions yet shares billing with metal and cross-genre projects. Ahead of opening night, organizers also teased 37 bands on the concert slate—an illustration of how the event scales from the city’s scene to a Mediterranean-facing platform.
Run by EAC-L’Boulvart, L’Boulevard has grown from a late-1990s grassroots competition into a signature date on Morocco’s music calendar, with its Tremplin consistently feeding club and festival lineups year-round. The 2025 edition’s strong turnout and fresh laureates keep that pipeline flowing—another signal that Casablanca’s underground remains both loud and upwardly mobile.
