Gnawa Night in Rabat on 7 November 2026

MOROCCO · LIVE MUSIC

Maalem Hamid El Kasri and the singer Abdelkebir Merchane play a Gnawa night in Rabat on Saturday 7 November 2026 at 8 p.m. local time, according to the ticket seller Guichet. The show is at the Zenith Center in the Hay Riad district, and tickets cost 200, 300 and 400 dirhams (about US$20, US$31 and US$41).

For US readers, 8 p.m. in Rabat is 3 p.m. Eastern time on the day, because Morocco has been on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) since 20 September 2026 and US clocks go back on 1 November. The gap to New York is therefore five hours, not the four hours that applied in October.

We checked the date, venue and prices on the Guichet listing on 23 October 2026, when the show was on sale. The door time, the running order and any act beyond the two named artists are not published, so we list them under what is not known.

Gnawa Night in Rabat: Date, Venue and Tickets

Guichet, a Moroccan ticketing platform, lists the event as the Grand Gnawa Evening, with Nova Crea Event & Co named as the producer. The listing gives the start as 20:00 on Saturday 7 November 2026 and shows ticket sales as open.

The venue is the Zenith Center, a business centre on Avenue Al Eucalypthus in Rabat’s Hay Riad district. Its semi-circular auditorium spreads over two floors and has more than 750 seats, according to the city tourism site Visit Rabat.

The organiser’s text promises a festive evening of Gnawa songs for families and friends. It calls the evening a dream night with a duo beyond imagination, which is promotion and not a review.

Guichet’s archive also lists a Rabat date for the same two artists on 23 January 2026, at the same venue, and that listing now carries a “closed” label. We could not confirm from press reports that the January show took place or how many people came.

Who Are Hamid El Kasri and Abdelkebir Merchane

A maalem is a master musician who leads a Gnawa ensemble. Hamid El Kasri was born in 1961 in Ksar el-Kebir and began learning the art at the age of seven, according to the Gnaoua and World Music Festival in Essaouira.

The festival says he played alongside the keyboardist Joe Zawinul in 2004. Hespress, a Moroccan news site, reported on 28 June 2026 that he closed this year’s festival in Essaouira.

The organiser bills Abdelkebir Merchane as the magic voice and a legend of Gnawa. We found no independent biography or press report on him for this show, so we say no more about him.

What Gnawa Music Is

UNESCO describes Gnawa as first and foremost Sufi brotherhood music, paired with lyrics that are generally religious. It added Gnawa to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019, on Morocco’s nomination.

UNESCO says the tradition covers music, performances, brotherhood practices and healing rituals, and that it has roots in communities touched by the slave trade. A theatre concert is a staged performance and not a healing ritual, and the organiser does not say whether any ritual element is planned.

Tickets and Prices in US Dollars

Guichet lists three categories, Balcon at 200 dirhams (about US$20), Orchestre at 300 dirhams (about US$31) and VIP at 400 dirhams (about US$41). Conversions use 9.81 dirhams per US dollar on 23 October 2026, so a card charge may differ by a few cents.

We found no statement on the listing of what VIP includes or whether seats are numbered. Check the total at checkout before you pay, because we could not confirm whether booking fees are added.

The same pair plays the Théâtre l’Hermitage in Casablanca on Saturday 28 November 2026 at 8 p.m., with the same three prices on Guichet. That is three weeks after Rabat, so it is a fallback if you cannot make 7 November.

Time Difference to the United States

Morocco returned to GMT on Sunday 20 September 2026, when clocks went back 60 minutes at 2 a.m., under decree 2.26.530 published in the Bulletin officiel of 29 June 2026. Hespress reported that the decree ended the permanent GMT+1 that Morocco had kept since 2018.

The United States ends daylight saving time on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2 a.m. local time, the National Institute of Standards and Technology says. From that date Rabat is five hours ahead of New York, after a four-hour gap between 20 September and 31 October.

On Saturday 7 November the 8 p.m. start in Rabat is 3 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain and noon Pacific. A booking note that still uses the old GMT+1 time would be an hour out, so check the 20:00 start on the ticket itself.

Getting There and Entry Rules for US Citizens

US citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits of under 90 days in Morocco, the State Department says. The passport must be valid for at least six months at entry and have at least one blank page for the entry stamp.

The Zenith Center is on Avenue Al Eucalypthus in Hay Riad, and the show starts at 20:00. We could not confirm when it ends, so book your ride back in advance.

Rabat’s tram operator publishes its timetable at rabattram.com, but Saturday times differ from weekdays. Check the Saturday timetable and keep a taxi as a fallback for the trip after the show.

What It Means for You

For a US visitor the steps are to buy through Guichet, to convert 8 p.m. to your own clock and to carry a passport that meets Morocco’s six-month rule. A ticket costs between 200 and 400 dirhams (about US$20 and US$41), which is small beside flights and a hotel.

For the city around the show, see our Rabat expat city guide and What to Do in Rabat in October 2026. For the wider picture, see the Rio Times Morocco hub and Morocco Culture, the Key Figures to Know in 2026.

What Is Not Known

Guichet shows no door time, end time or support act, and no independent press report on this show turned up in our searches. The benefits of the VIP category, the seat layout, any age limit and the booking fees are also unconfirmed.

We did not reach the organiser, Nova Crea Event & Co, to confirm the line-up before publication, so the date, venue and prices rest on the Guichet listing. Shows can be moved or cancelled, so recheck the listing before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Gnawa night in Rabat?

It is on Saturday 7 November 2026 at 8 p.m. local time at the Zenith Center in Rabat. That is 3 p.m. Eastern time, because Morocco is on GMT and US clocks go back on 1 November.

How much are tickets for the Gnawa night in Rabat?

Guichet lists Balcon at 200 dirhams (about US$20), Orchestre at 300 dirhams (about US$31) and VIP at 400 dirhams (about US$41). Booking fees are not confirmed.

Do US citizens need a visa for Morocco?

No visa is needed for tourist visits of under 90 days, the State Department says. The passport must be valid for at least six months and have a blank page.

Sources: Guichet, Grand Gnawa Evening in Rabat, 7 November 2026; Guichet, Grand Gnawa Evening in Casablanca, 28 November 2026; Guichet, Rabat date of 23 January 2026; Hespress, Morocco returns to GMT on 20 September, decree 2.26.530; Hespress, Hamid El Kasri closes the Gnaoua festival, 28 June 2026; Gnaoua and World Music Festival, Maalem Hamid El Kasri; Visit Rabat, Zenith Center; UNESCO, Gnawa, Representative List (2019); NIST, Daylight Saving Time Rules; US State Department, Morocco travel information; Rabat-Salé tram timetable; Exchange rate: 9.81 dirhams per US dollar, 23 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error