Fez — Essaouira is preparing to host the first edition of “Swira Breaking Jam,” an international hip-hop festival dedicated to breaking and urban culture, from May 15 to 17.
The event will take place across several venues, with the main “Village Hip-Hop” set on the basketball courts along Essaouira’s corniche. The festival is designed as an open-air jam centered on hip-hop values, including peace, respect, unity, and shared creative expression.
Organizers present “Swira Breaking Jam” as a cultural gathering built around the four pillars of hip-hop: breaking, DJing, MCing, and graffiti. The program also places transmission at the center of the event, with workshops and initiations aimed at both beginners and experienced participants.
Three days of hip-hop culture
The festival will open on Friday, May 15, at Dar Souiri with a conference on hip-hop history. The session will look at the movement’s origins, its social role, and breaking’s path to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The evening will continue with a Funk & Groove party at Taros.
On Saturday, May 16, the corniche will host the “Village Hip-Hop” and creator spaces from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The day will include an opening DJ set, breaking, Afro dance, DJing, house dance, advanced breaking, an open mic, and a cypher led by DJ Flaya. A screening of “Broken Mirrors” by Othmane Saadouni is also scheduled at the French Institute of Morocco.
Sunday, May 17, will focus on the international breaking battle. The competition will bring together B-boys and B-girls in front of the public, with dancers judged on technique, creativity, musicality, and performance energy. The official program lists the battle from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by an after-party at BEYTT.
A bridge between local and global scenes
The lineup includes Moroccan and international figures such as Bgirl Elmamouny, Sidney, Admir, Bboy LilZoo, DJ Flaya, and DJ Zulu Nawfel. The Institut français du Maroc (French Institute of Morocco) lists the festival as a partner event and describes it as a space for creativity, encounters, live graffiti, dance cyphers, and community exchange.
The event comes after breaking made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, giving the discipline wider visibility beyond its street and battle roots. The World DanceSport Federation has said Paris 2024 selected breaking as one of its additional sports, even though Los Angeles 2028 did not include it in its program.
