June - July

June and July is the beginning of the high season for tourists in Morocco. Not only does the school year end for students in North America and Europe, Moroccan children will be out of school during this time as well. All of these people, as well as their families, will be competing for time and space at various attractions throughout the country, in addition to single travelers and couples without children. In short, you will notice lines if you visit many attractions in the early afternoon hours. If there is something you feel you must see, either visit within the first hour of opening or the last two hours before closing. (Many attractions stop taking new tour groups in the final hour.) Expect to pay the highest rates of the year for accommodations.

The weather in Morocco varies a lot more in the summertime than it does in the winter. Tangier`s position near the sea allows it to stay temperate through the summer months, with highs in the upper 70s Fahrenheit in June and low 80s in July, and lows in the 60s. Fes and Meknes`s highs will rise into the low and mid-90s by July, and lows will routinely fall into the low to mid 60s. Rabat will see highs around 80 by July, and Casablanca will warm into the upper 70s. By the end of July, Casablanca`s lows will hover around 70, while Rabat is cooler in the mid-60s. Marrakech will heat up quickly to the low 90s by June and the upper 90s to near 100 by July, with lows in the mid-to-upper 60s. Essaouira provides some respite, with highs in the low to mid 70s and lows in the low to mid 60s. By June, much of the country will see days, even weeks, of completely dry conditions. You will also notice that even though parts of the country are hot, these dry conditions will feel less oppressive since the humidity is low.

Holidays and Festivals:

May to early June - Festival of the Roses, Kalaat M'Gouna. Timed to coincide with the rose harvest, the festival lasts for an entire weekend and tourists will be able to admire the fresh roses and buy rose-related souvenirs such as Moroccan oils and rosewater.

Third or fourth weekend in June - Gnaoua World Music Festival, Essaouira. As many as 500,000 people come to Essaouira every year to listen to performances from Gnaoua musicians, which mix Sufism with African traditions which predate the arrival of the Arabs in Morocco. The Gnaoua musicians mix a number of world music genres with their traditional sounds, such as jazz and electronica.

Last week in June - Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, Fes. Performances from religious musicians, music groups and choirs fill the four-day extended weekend. Participants transcend religious and geographic boundaries; Morocco`s religious diversity is put on full display, as are musicians from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, to name a few.

July - Marrakech Popular Arts Festival, Marrakech. Held every year since 1960, Moroccan performing arts are honored in a nearly-weeklong celebration, typically attended by the Moroccan royal family. Popular music performances are interspersed with performances using ancient instruments, allowing lovers of the arts to bridge the divide between the Morocco of yesterday and the one of today.

July - Horse Festival, Meknes, which features a legendary `fantasia`, an elaborately-staged Maghreb horsemanship performance.

First week in July - Timitar Festival, Agadir. One of the largest folk music festivals in Africa, nearly 500,000 people attend every year to listen to the music of the Amazigh people, better known as the Berbers.

Dhu al-Hijjah 10 - Eid ul-Adha (Eid Kbir / Eid al-Adha) One of the most sacred holidays on the Islamic calendar, it is celebrated with acts of charity, social gatherings, the giving of gifts, and big feasts. The tenth day of the month Dhu al-Hijjah, it corresponds to August 10-11 in 2019, July 30-31 in 2020 and July 19-20 in 2021. National holiday in Morocco.

July 30- Throne Day (Eid Al-Ârch / Le couronnement) The current king, Mohammed VI, took the throne on July 30, 1999. The King speaks on state television on this date and outlines his vision for Morocco for the next year. National holiday in Morocco.