Casablanca – Jazzablanca Festival opened its 19th edition on Thursday with a night that moved effortlessly between jazz, electro-pop, rock, gnaoua, and global sounds, offering audiences a first taste of what this year’s program has in store.
Across Anfa Park, each stage offered a different musical experience, while the festival’s free-access venue at Parc de la Ligue Arabe extended the celebration beyond the main grounds, reflecting the diversity that has become a hallmark of Jazzablanca.
Yazz Ahmed opens With a psychedelic jazz journey
The evening began on Scene 21, where British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed transformed the venue into an immersive sonic experience.
Blending psychedelic jazz with Arabic influences, Ahmed delivered a performance that felt almost cinematic, with every trumpet phrase carrying emotion beyond words and drawing the audience into a deeply atmospheric musical journey.
Deluxe brings Casa Anfa to life
The focus then shifted to Casa Anfa Stage, where French band Deluxe injected an entirely different energy into the festival.
Blending electro-pop, soul, rock, hip-hop, and dreamy ballads, the group immediately connected with the audience, who embraced every beat from beginning to end.
Dressed in striking blue outfits, the band delivered a performance full of spontaneity and boundless energy.
Their appearance marked their very first concert in Morocco after more than thirteen years together, making the occasion all the more memorable.
The audience answered with equal enthusiasm, turning the concert into a collective celebration through constant sing-alongs, dancing, and applause that echoed across the venue.
Bab L’bluz blends Moroccan heritage with powerful messages
Back on Scene 21, Bab L’bluz brought a distinctly Moroccan energy to the evening.
The band performed its signature fusion of psychedelic rock, gnaoua traditions, Hassani chants, and Chaâbi grooves, creating a sound that effortlessly bridges Moroccan musical heritage with contemporary influences.
This blend of Moroccan and Western sounds resonated strongly with festivalgoers, who responded with nonstop dancing, rhythmic clapping, and sing-alongs throughout the performance.
Yet Bab L’bluz offers much more than its distinctive musical identity.
Beyond the guembri, the mix of Standard Arabic, Amazigh, and Darija, and the band’s unmistakable sound, every performance carries messages of freedom, peace, justice, women’s place in society, and acceptance despite differences.
Performing these songs before a Moroccan audience, however, carries a special meaning.
Speaking exclusively to MWN Lifestyle Magazine, Bab L’bluz founder, lead singer, and guembri player Yousra Mansour explained that performing at home creates a connection unlike anywhere else.
Unlike international performances where audiences primarily connect with the music, Moroccan listeners also understand every word behind the songs.
“When you perform in Morocco, you have everyone understanding perfectly the dialect and the words that we are singing,” Mansour told MWN Lifestyle Magazine.
She added, “I know exactly that the words reach directly to the hearts of the crowd. I think this is the only thing we don’t find everywhere we play. Everywhere, the music is heard and felt, but in Morocco, it’s also understood.”
For Brice Bottin, who plays the guembri, guitar, percussion, and vocals, Morocco has become much more than another stop on the band’s musical journey.
Originally from France, Bottin admitted that he never expected music to lead him to Morocco.
He gradually immersed himself in its musical traditions, collaborated with different bands, and built a deep connection with its culture.
Today, he feels Morocco has become part of his identity.
“I fell in love with the Moroccan culture. And now, I’m a Maghrebi. It’s my nationality,” he told MWN Lifestyle magazine.
Robbie Williams closes the night in style
The festival continued on Casa Anfa Stage, where Robbie Williams closed the opening night.
The British star delivered many of the songs that have defined his decades-long career, transforming the concert into a massive sing-along.
Thousands of festivalgoers followed every lyric, danced, and celebrated together until the final moments of the evening.
Asmaa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou lead the Arab League stage
Earlier in the evening, Jazzablanca’s free-access stage at the Arab League’s parc welcomed Moroccan gnaoua artist Asmaa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou.
Their performance highlighted another side of Morocco’s rich musical heritage, introducing audiences to hypnotic gnaoua rhythms while extending the festival’s celebration beyond Anfa Park, making the opening day accessible to an even wider public.
A strong opening for Jazzablanca 2026
From jazz performances and energetic electro-pop to Moroccan gnaoua traditions and international headliners, Jazzablanca’s opening day reflected the diversity that has defined the festival for nearly two decades.
If Thursday’s lineup offered a glimpse of what’s to come, the coming days promise even more encounters between cultures, genres, and generations, reaffirming Jazzablanca’s place as one of Morocco’s leading musical celebrations.
