MOROCCO · TRAVEL GUIDE
Key Facts
- Holidays Green March Day is Friday, 6 November, and Independence Day is Wednesday, 18 November 2026.
- Next holiday New Year’s Day is Friday, 1 January 2027; we found no national holiday in December.
- Film festival The 23rd Marrakech film festival runs Friday, 20 to Saturday, 28 November 2026.
- Music Gnawa Night in Rabat is Saturday, 7 November, 8 p.m., from MAD 200 (about US$20).
- Clocks Morocco is on GMT all year; New York is 5 hours behind from Sunday, 1 November.
- Advisory The US State Department rates Morocco Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of terrorism.
- Entry US citizens need no visa for under 90 days and a passport valid six months.
Morocco has few holidays this winter. A film festival, Gnawa music and a Los Angeles nonstop still make it a strong season for US visitors.
- Green March: the 6 November 1975 march by Moroccans into the Western Sahara; Morocco marks it each year.
- Unity Day: a new national celebration on 31 October, decreed by the King in November 2025.
- Gnawa: Sufi brotherhood music of Morocco, led by a master musician called a maalem.
- Level 2: the US State Department’s second-lowest advisory step, Exercise Increased Caution.
Morocco has two national holidays in November: Green March Day on Friday, 6 November, and Independence Day on Wednesday, 18 November. We found no national holiday in December, and New Year’s Day follows on Friday, 1 January 2027.
The first Unity Day falls on Saturday, 31 October 2026, so it adds no weekday closure this year. This guide covers what is open, the main events, flights from the United States, safety and costs.
The Holidays From November to New Year
Green March Day on Friday, 6 November marks the 1975 march into the Western Sahara. It is a fixed-date national holiday, and it creates a three-day weekend for people who work Monday to Friday.
Independence Day on Wednesday, 18 November marks the end of the French and Spanish protectorates in 1956. It falls midweek, so many Moroccans take Thursday and Friday off, and trains and hotels can fill up.
Unity Day is new, and it was set by the royal cabinet on 4 November 2025. The King decreed that 31 October of each year is a national celebration called Aid Al Wahda, meaning Unity Day.
The Government Council approved two draft decrees on Thursday, 15 January 2026 to add the day to the holiday lists. One covers public administrations under No. 2.25.1140, and the other covers private-sector paid holidays under No. 2.26.14.
Christmas Day, Friday, 25 December, is not on the holiday lists we found. Hotels and restaurants serving visitors usually stay open, but the official lists do not tell you what tourist sites do.
What Is Open and Closed on Holidays
On the listed holidays, public administrations, public institutions and concession services close under the 1977 decree on public-sector holidays. Expect closed government counters, courts and many bank branches on Friday, 6 November and Wednesday, 18 November.
The decrees do not list shops, markets, museums or tourist sites, so we cannot say which open. Ask your hotel the day before, and carry cash in dirhams for small shops and taxis.
Plan visa, police or consular errands for a normal working day, not a holiday weekend. A holiday also slows intercity trains and buses, so book seats early for 6 and 18 November.
Events and Festivals in November and December
The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival runs from Friday, 20 to Saturday, 28 November 2026. The festival’s 2026 entry rules give those dates and name Marrakech as host city.
The 2026 jury, opening film and ticket prices were not published when we checked on 29 October. The organiser’s site blocked our request, so check its programme before you book a room.
Gnawa Night is on Saturday, 7 November 2026 at 8 p.m. local time at the Zenith centre in Rabat. Gnawa is the Sufi brotherhood music of Morocco, and the ticketing platform Guichet lists Maalem Hamid El Kasri and singer Abdelkebir Merchane.
Tickets on the Guichet listing run from MAD 200 to MAD 400 (about US$20 to US$41) at 9.85 dirhams per dollar. Nova Crea Event & Co is named as the producer, and the show was on sale.
Eight p.m. in Rabat is 3 p.m. Eastern time that day, as US clocks go back on Sunday, 1 November. Doors, end time, support acts and fees are not published.
Winter Travel Season and Getting There From the US
Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s national airline, has flown nonstop between Los Angeles and Casablanca since Sunday, 7 June 2026. The airline announced three flights a week on Boeing 787 Dreamliners, so West Coast travellers can skip a connection.
Its US home page advertises return fares from US$860 to Casablanca and US$875 to Marrakech. The page does not say which US city or which dates those fares apply to, so compare prices for your own dates.
US citizens do not need a visa for stays under 90 days, the State Department says. Your passport must be valid for at least six months when you enter and have one blank page.
Overstaying 90 days without an extension can mean appearing before a judge before you leave, the State Department warns. Check the Moroccan embassy’s website for current visa rules before you go.
Morocco returned to permanent GMT on Sunday, 20 September 2026, so its clock no longer moves. The gap to New York is four hours until Sunday, 1 November and five hours afterwards.
Safety and Costs for US Visitors
The State Department rates Morocco Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of terrorism. It warns that attacks may come with little warning, and it lists tourist sites, transport hubs and markets as possible targets.
The advisory page we read on 29 October is dated 21 April 2025 and marked Reissued after periodic review with minor edits. Read the live page again before you book, because the department can change a level at any time.
The dirham traded at about 9.85 per US$1 on 29 October, according to a public exchange-rate feed. At that rate MAD 200 is about US$20 and MAD 300 is about US$30.
For daily costs, rents and prices, read our guide to the cost of living in Morocco. Carry some cash in dirhams, keep your passport copy separate and use licensed taxis or hotel transfers after dark.
What It Means for You
If you are planning a trip, avoid errands on 6 and 18 November, and book trains and hotels early. The film festival from 20 to 28 November will push up Marrakech room prices, so reserve early.
If you fly from the West Coast, compare the Los Angeles nonstop with connections, and check your passport’s six-month validity now. Read the State Department’s Level 2 advisory the week you leave.
What Is Not Known
We could not open the festival organiser’s site, so the 2026 jury, opening film, tickets and prices are unconfirmed. We also could not open the full text of the holiday decrees, so what shops and sites do on holidays is unknown.
Royal Air Maroc’s fares for Los Angeles flights in November and December and its 2027 plans were not confirmed. We found no official list of winter events beyond the two covered here, and no official weather outlook.
The advisory page showed the date 21 April 2025 when we read it, and we found no newer date on it. We did not confirm any December festival with its organiser, so we list none.
Related Coverage
Read the Morocco news hub and the Marrakech city page. The Rabat city page and Casablanca city page cover the other two cities in this guide.
See our reports on Morocco’s first Unity Day holiday, the Marrakech film festival guide and the Gnawa Night in Rabat. Our Los Angeles nonstop guide, cost of living in Morocco and Morocco and US relations explained add more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the public holidays in Morocco in November and December 2026?
Green March Day is Friday, 6 November, and Independence Day is Wednesday, 18 November 2026. We found no national holiday in December; New Year’s Day is Friday, 1 January 2027.
Is Morocco safe for American visitors this winter?
The US State Department rates Morocco Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, because of terrorism. Read the live advisory before you book, as the page we read was dated 21 April 2025.
Do Americans need a visa for Morocco?
No visa is needed for stays under 90 days, the State Department says. Your passport must be valid for six months on arrival and have one blank page.
When is the Marrakech film festival in 2026?
The 23rd edition runs from Friday, 20 to Saturday, 28 November 2026, per the organiser’s entry rules. The daily programme was not published when we checked on 29 October.
Sources: Royal Cabinet communique on Unity Day, 4 November 2025; Government Council of 15 January 2026, decrees No. 2.25.1140 and No. 2.26.14; Marrakech International Film Festival 2026 entry rules; Guichet.com Gnawa Night listing; US State Department Morocco travel advisory; US State Department Morocco country information; Royal Air Maroc US site; open.er-api.com (all accessed 29 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief