FEZ FESTIVAL ACCOMMODATION

With the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music almost upon us, The View from Fez has been out and about in search of the last remaining accommodation options. The good news is that there are rooms available in some of the beautiful traditional houses in the Medina, most of them within reasonable distance of the concert venues.


For example, there’s a wonderful little riad sleeping six people in the Ziat region, either for a group of friends or as individually rented rooms. Another guesthouse in Ziat offers sumptuous accommodation. Two guesthouses in the Batha area, superb for concert access, still have some options. And there’s a jewel of an apartment for two in the central medina. While many of the well-established riad guesthouses are full, you can still find good value rooms (all with bathrooms) if you look hard enough. Expect to pay between €50 and €150 per room per night, including breakfast, or try a top-end guesthouse suite at €220-275.

For information about booking visit Fez Riads - booking here aids Medina Restoration Projects


Festival Venues

Evening concerts take place at Bab Al Makina, about ten minutes’ walk from Bab Boujloud. It’s a pleasant saunter downhill of about 15 minutes to Dar Tazi to attend the Sufi Nights after the main evening concerts. This is the headquarters of the Festival, and will house the art exhibition featuring painter Mohamed Bennani. For the Rencontres de Fes conference, make your way to the Batha Museum garden, which is also the venue for the afternoon concerts. Inside the Museum, visit the exhibition entitled Sufism: The Heart of Islam. The dawn concerts, starting at 04h45, at the Merinides Quarry poses a bit of a problem. The best thing to do is organise a taxi to collect you at around 04h00 on Sunday 3 June or Wednesday 6 June. It will be an easy 10 minute walk back from the quarry to the medina in daylight. Bab Boujloud Square and the Tagemouati-Bensouda Sports Complex are the venues for free public concerts. Children’s events take place at Al Houria and Al Qods complexes.

There’s a good medina map at www.fez-riads.com


Festival Tickets

While you can book online at www.fesfestival.com, you can also contact Objectif Maroc at objectif_naima@menara.ma or phone +212 (0)35 65 28 16/17/18.
You’ll have to visit the Objectif Maroc offices to collect your tickets – beware of long queues, so allow plenty of time. You can find the office at 9 Rue de Turquie in the new city. Should you book? It is possible to buy tickets at the door, but popular concerts could well be sold out.


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