Medina of Fez hosts Sufi festival from 17 to 24 October

Medina of Fez (Fez el-Bali) will host the Fez Sufi Culture Festival from 17 to 24 October 2026 in Fez, Morocco. The eighteenth edition brings concerts, spiritual rituals, exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, conferences and round tables to historic and cultural venues across the city.

The festival is organised by the Association of the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture and World Wisdom. Its 2026 theme is mystical poetry and healing, linking poetry, music and spiritual traditions from Morocco and elsewhere.

Fez Sufi Culture Festival opens at Bab El Makina on 17 October

The programme begins on 17 October 2026 with an inaugural conference at the Shems'y School of Arts and Crafts, followed by an opening evening at Bab El Makina. The opening brings Andalusian-Arabic singing and Hadra from the Harraqiya tradition, with Nabyla Maan among the participating performers. The organiser's 2026 programme confirms the festival dates and its theme.

Further events are scheduled through 24 October 2026. The published programme includes a Sufi singing concert from Pakistan on 18 October, a Hamadcha ritual and a Qadiriya Boutchichiya performance on 19 October, and an Indian dhrupad presentation on 21 October.

On 22 October 2026, Bach and Rumi form the basis of a concert-recital with Leili Anvar and Claire Antonini. The week closes at Bab El Makina on 24 October with Andalusian-Arabic samaa, Aleppo singing and whirling dervishes. A detailed festival programme lists these events and venues.

Historic Fez medina gives the festival its setting

The medina preserves the memory of the capital founded by the Idrisid dynasty between 789 and 808. UNESCO describes it as one of the most extensive and best-conserved historic towns in the Arab-Muslim world, with religious, civic and military monuments shaped over more than ten centuries.

Its urban fabric includes madrasas, fondouks, palaces, residences, mosques and fountains. Fez reached its height under the Marinids in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, while the present old quarter had already grown to its current size under the Almohads. The UNESCO heritage description records the medina's cultural and architectural significance.

That setting connects the festival's subject to the place itself: the programme's poetry, music and religious traditions are presented among the historic urban spaces that preserve Fez's long record of learning and spiritual life.

Visiting Medina of Fez: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Fez Sufi Culture Festival runs from 17 to 24 October 2026, with events at Bab El Makina, Jnan Sbil, Souq Semmarine, the Centre Les Étoiles de the Medina and other Fez venues.
• The programme includes public concerts, exhibitions, screenings, workshops and discussions, but individual activities and venues may change because the organiser states that the programme is subject to modification.
• The medina is an historic urban district with unpaved streets and a dense collection of monuments, so visitors should expect walking across uneven surfaces between venues.
• Morocco's official languages are Arabic and Amazigh, and its national currency is the Moroccan dirham.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Medina of Fez

When does the Fez Sufi Culture Festival take place at Medina of Fez?

The festival runs from 17 to 24 October 2026, with events at several venues in Fez.

What is Medina of Fez?

It is the historic urban district of Fez, founded between 789 and 808 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Where is Medina of Fez and how do you get there?

It is in Fez, Morocco. The festival programme identifies venues including Bab El Makina, Jnan Sbil and Souq Semmarine within the city.