Confusion Over Tissa Horse Festival!

Tissa Horse Festival ~ October 08, 2011 (All Day) -"Every October the quiet town of Tissa, near Fez, becomes the stage for one of the most loved events in Morocco. A medieval celebration of horsemanship, the Horse Festival attracts hundreds of owners, breeders and riders". - Press Release

The press release quoted above may well be wrong. The Tissa Horse Festival (see our story here) attracts people from many countries but this evening the event is mired in confusion. The official sites still all advertise the festival as taking place between the 8th and 11th of October - the traditional time for the Festival. However, earlier this week rumours started that (for some reason) the festival was being moved to an earlier date. One story had it that it would start on Thursday September 29th. Another "credible source" maintained that the Festival started on Saturday October 1.

The View from Fez is on the case and can report that our spies in Tissa tell us that a huge marquee is being erected and the contractors doing the work report that it is in preparation for Saturday. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the normal souq day for Tissa and we have a contact travelling to Tissa to ascertain the real situation.

It may well be that the Festival dates have been changed, but we would certainly like to know who changed them and why there has been no official announcement. If any of our readers have further informaton, we would like to hear from you.

Photographs by Gerard Chemit