Zamane Festival Runs 3 to 6 December in M’Hamid El Ghizlane

EXPATS & NOMADS · M’HAMID EL GHIZLANE

The Zamane Festival holds its fifth edition in the Saharan oasis of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, in southeastern Morocco, from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December 2026. Moroccan singer Oum is the first artist named for 2026, and festival passes start at 350 dirhams (about US$36) a day.

Zamane is a four-day festival of desert music held in the old fortified villages of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, the last village on the road south before the Sahara. Its organiser, the local group Joudour Sahara, has set the 2026 edition for 3 to 6 December under the theme “Ahidous Pride”.

For US readers, the practical points are a long road trip, a remote oasis setting and cold desert nights. Passes and full-board packages are sold by the organiser itself, and its team also helps visitors arrange transport and rooms.

Five Editions of Music at the Edge of the Sahara

Zamane began in 2022 with a first edition built around the cultural and environmental heritage of the Draa Valley in southeastern Morocco. Joudour Sahara says the festival has since become the biggest event in that part of the country.

The 2024 edition, held from 29 November to 1 December, took camels as its theme and featured Grammy nominee Bombino. The fourth edition, from 14 to 16 November 2025, brought Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, Gnawa musician Majid Bekkas and singer Aziz Sahmaoui to the oasis.

The organiser says that edition put more than 225 performers on stage, including more than 150 young people and musicians playing traditional Ganga music together. APA, the African news agency, described Ganga as the songs of people once enslaved and brought to the region by the caravans.

Oum Heads the Ahidous Edition

The festival’s 2026 poster names Oum, a Moroccan singer born in Casablanca in 1978, as its first confirmed artist. She has Saharan roots through her father, and her album “Zarabi” was recorded outdoors in M’Hamid El Ghizlane.

Her link with the village goes back at least to 2012, when she took part in the Taragalte festival there and met its organiser, Halim Sbai. Sbai now directs Joudour Sahara and Zamane, after running Taragalte from 2009 to 2018.

This year’s theme refers to Ahidous, which Hespress describes as one of the most important collective dances of Amazigh society. It combines group singing, poetry and dance, and troupes from many regions of Morocco still perform it at festivals.

The organiser has not yet published the rest of the line-up or a day-by-day programme. Past editions mixed headline concerts with workshops, local troupes and young musicians from the Joudour Sahara music programme.

Who Is Behind Zamane

Joudour Sahara, whose name means “Saharan Roots”, is a local organisation in M’Hamid El Ghizlane that runs a music school, a pilot farm and anti-desertification work alongside the festival. Its founding partner is the Playing For Change Foundation, an American international non-governmental organisation that supports 15 music programmes in 11 countries.

The Dutch Sahara Roots Foundation, which has worked on environmental projects with Sbai since 2005, is the other founding partner. The festival page also credits support from the Canadian Embassy to Morocco and Mauritania, through the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives.

Getting to M’Hamid El Ghizlane

M’Hamid El Ghizlane lies about 95 km (60 miles) south of Zagora, roughly 90 minutes by road, and about 260 km (160 miles) from Ouarzazate. From Marrakech the route crosses the Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass and then follows the Draa Valley through Ouarzazate, Agdz and Zagora, which makes a very long day’s drive.

Coaches, minibuses and shared grand taxis run between Zagora and M’Hamid, but timetables change, so check them locally. Ouarzazate and Zagora both have airports, so look at Royal Air Maroc’s domestic schedule before committing to the full drive from Marrakech.

The packages include a welcome in the village on Thursday 3 December and a transfer to the hotel or desert camp. Hourly shuttles then carry festival-goers between the four ksour each day, and the package hotels are in the centre of the village.

The large dunes of Erg Chigaga lie about 50 to 60 km beyond the village and can be reached only by desert tracks. A four-wheel-drive trip there takes about 90 minutes to two hours, and a local guide is essential.

Passes, Packages and Prices

Joudour Sahara sells passes on their own at 350 dirhams (about US$36) for one day, 600 dirhams (about US$62) for two, 800 dirhams (about US$82) for three and 1,000 dirhams (about US$103) for all four. Dollar figures here use 9.756 dirhams to the US dollar, the close on Friday 16 October 2026.

The hotel package costs 4,800 dirhams (about US$492) per person for four nights, two people to a room. The desert-camp package costs 6,000 dirhams (about US$615) per person for four nights, two people to a tent.

Both packages include dinner on 3 December, full board from 4 to 6 December, all festival activities and the shuttles between villages. Drinks, tips and personal spending are extra, and a single room costs 200 dirhams (about US$21) more per day, or 300 dirhams (about US$31) for a single tent.

Bookings go through the form on the organiser’s Zamane page or by email to the festival team. The 2025 passes sold online included private concerts at the Joudour Sahara amphitheatre and VIP access to the main-stage concerts in the village centre.

What It Means for You

US citizens need no visa for visits to Morocco of 90 days or less, according to the State Department page checked on 19 October 2026. That page asks for six months of passport validity at entry and one blank page for each stamp.

Morocco carries a Level 2 advisory, exercise increased caution, issued on 4 September 2026 and citing terrorism. The State Department also says dirhams may not be taken out of the country, and foreign cash worth 15,000 dirhams (about US$1,538) or more must be declared on arrival.

Drinks are not part of any package, although the organiser says water, soft drinks and fruit juices can be bought on site. Bring enough dirhams from a larger town for those, for tips and for personal spending.

The organiser’s advice for past editions was to pack a warm jacket for the cool desert nights. The State Department describes Morocco’s desert climate as hot and dry, with big temperature changes between day and night.

Visitors who want to skip the logistics can book a full package and ask the organiser’s team to help with transport. Those who add a night in the dunes of Erg Chigaga should hire an experienced driver and guide, since there are no paved roads beyond M’Hamid.

What Is Not Known

Joudour Sahara has named only Oum for 2026, and the full line-up, daily programme and concert times are still to come. It is also unclear whether the main-stage concerts in the village will again be free to watch, as APA reported for the 2025 edition.

The 2025 day passes were also sold through an online booking platform, but no 2026 listing was live when we checked on 19 October. Buyers should confirm prices, inclusions and cancellation terms with the organiser before paying.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Zamane Festival 2026?

The fifth Zamane Festival runs from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December 2026 in the oasis of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, about 95 km south of Zagora in southeastern Morocco. Events take place in four ksour, the old fortified villages of Oulad Driss, M’Hamid, Zouiat L’hna and Bounou.

How much does the Zamane Festival cost?

Passes cost 350 dirhams (about US$36) for one day and 1,000 dirhams (about US$103) for all four days. Four-night packages with full board cost 4,800 dirhams (about US$492) in a hotel or 6,000 dirhams (about US$615) in a desert camp.

Do US citizens need a visa to attend the Zamane Festival?

No, the State Department says US citizens need no visa for visits to Morocco of 90 days or less. It asks for six months of passport validity at entry and rates Morocco at Level 2, exercise increased caution.

Starting the trip in Marrakech? Our Marrakech City Guide for Expats and Visitors covers neighbourhoods, transport and costs.

For what is on in the city now, see What to Do in Marrakech in October 2026. For the wider country, read Best Places to Live in Morocco for Expats 2026 and our Morocco Language Guide.

Sources: Joudour Sahara, Zamane Festival page and 2026 poster, consulted 19 October 2026; Joudour Sahara, About, consulted 19 October 2026; Culturama, Zamane Festival 2026 listing, consulted 19 October 2026; Wanaut, Zamane Festival 2025 pass listing, consulted 19 October 2026; Le360, 15 November 2025; APA, 15 November 2025; Songlines, Zamane festival report; Playing For Change Foundation, 2023 Zamane Festival; Afrik.com, Oum, la dune mélodieuse du Sahara; HighResAudio, Oum, Zarabi; Hespress, 16 July 2026; Sud-Est Maroc, M’Hamid El Ghizlane travel guide; US State Department, Morocco country information, consulted 19 October 2026; exchange rate: 16 October 2026 close.

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