Press Release
National Festival of Ahwach Arts - 13th Edition
City of Ouarzazate - October 2025

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication - Culture Sector - in partnership with the Ouarzazate Events Association and with the support of the Province of Ouarzazate, the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT), the Council of the Drâa-Tafilalet Region, the Provincial Council of Ouarzazate, the Territorial Commune of Ouarzazate, the Provincial Tourism Council of Ouarzazate, and the Ouarzazate Cinema Museum, organizes the thirteenth edition of the National Festival of Ahwach Arts under the theme: "Ahwach Arts Embrace the Melodies of the World"... on October 23, 24, and 25, 2025, in Ouarzazate.

This cultural event is a prominent annual occasion that celebrates the authentic art of Ahwach, which reflects the depth of the national cultural heritage and embodies the values of solidarity and artistic and social fusion among Moroccans. The festival also aims to preserve this art as an intangible human heritage and to support the cultural and tourist dynamics of the Ouarzazate region.

This edition is distinguished by adopting a creative artistic vision aimed at highlighting Ahwach arts in their connection to daily life in its various forms, through artistic performances in different cultural spaces in Ouarzazate. The celebratory aspects of this art will be highlighted through scenography and a cultural, heritage, and artistic content that blends authentic heritage with contemporary elements by employing effects based on modern technology, encouraging an immersion into the rituals and collective life associated with Ahwach arts as a cultural heritage with both tangible and intangible significance.

The program for this edition includes several segments: animating the space of the historic Taourirt Kasbah, an intellectual symposium on the safeguarding and protection of Ahwach arts with the participation of specialized university researchers. The festival will also host the carnival dedicated to these diverse arts, which will parade through the city streets, and will pay tribute to the Living Human Treasures who have contributed immensely to Ahwach art. Additionally, thematic workshops on teaching Ahwach arts and the techniques of making its instruments will be held for the benefit of youth.

Furthermore, this thirteenth edition features significant participation from Moroccan and international artists. The festival is expected to attract a large number of the local population and visitors from within the country and abroad. It will be an opportunity to highlight the immense potential of the region in the fields of heritage, tourism, cinema, oases, biodiversity, and traditional crafts...

It is worth mentioning that Ahwach arts are collective heritage arts that embody the collective joy characterizing the artistic, social, and economic life cycle of humans. The festival will contribute to highlighting them and work to enhance their value, seeking to inscribe Ahwach arts on the World Heritage List.

This festival also aims to encourage tourism in the city of Ouarzazate, which is considered a premier tourist destination.