18th Fez Festival of Sufi Culture Returns From October 17 to 24 With Rich Global Program

FEZ — The Fez Festival of Sufi Culture returns for its 18th edition from October 17 to 24, inviting national and international audiences to experience culture as a transformative journey. Spanning iconic historical landmarks across the city—from Bab El Makina and the Jnan Sbil Gardens to Souq Semmarine—this year’s event will feature musical performances, spiritual dialogues, workshops, visual arts, and intellectual debates.

Musical Highlights and World Spiritual Traditions
The festival will open on October 17 at Bab El Makina with the inaugural concert “Paths of Spiritual Love,” featuring Arab-Andalusian chants and the hadra of the Harrâqie tradition, accompanied by singer Nabyla Maan. Throughout the week, evening samâ‘ (spiritual listening) rituals will showcase the rich diversity and vitality of Moroccan Sufi brotherhoods, including the Qadiriya Boutchichiya, Charqawiya, Ouazzaniya, Rissouniya, and Sqalliya orders.

The program also expands to a broader global musical geography:

October 18: Shuaïb Aftab Qawwal brings Sufi Qawwali singing from Pakistan in a tribute to philosopher and poet Mohammed Iqbal.

October 21: Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar performs “The Breath of Eternity,” presenting the ancestral dhrupad vocal tradition of Northern India.

October 23: Ivory Coast’s Daoud Konaté and Albania’s Enris Qinami perform spiritual chants at Jnan Sbil Gardens, followed by the original production “Journey from East to West,” featuring Marouane Hajji.

Special collaborative creations will highlight cross-cultural bridges:

Tristan Driessens and Luthopia, alongside vocalist and harpist Arianna Savall, present a project inspired by the mystical chants of Hildegard von Bingen.

Françoise Atlan and Kamal Hafid revive “Ibn al-Khatîb and the City of Love.”

October 22: The dialogue “Bach and Rûmî,” featuring Leili Anvar and Claire Antonini, explores the spiritual depth shared by the two traditions.

Art, Rituals, and Workshops
Beyond music, the festival highlights mindfulness, art, and craft:

Tea Ceremony: Master Miyuki presents the Japanese Chanoyu tea ceremony, inviting audiences to experience the poetry of gesture and presence.

Workshops & Poetry: Dhikr workshops led by Enris Qinami, alongside “Inner Gardens: When Poetry Breathes” with Najoua Ajjour and Mathieu Beley.

Visual Arts & Film: Art exhibitions by Odile Guinand and Marie Pourchot, as well as a screening of Isabel Fernández’s film “The Builders of the Alhambra.”

Intellectual Forums and Closing Concert
Roundtable discussions will form the intellectual heart of the festival, addressing thought, poetry, and healing through topics such as:

“Can Beauty Save the World?”

“Rûmî’s Mathnawî: A Quest for Healing”

“Transfigured Trials in Sacred Texts”

“Poetry and Healing: The Therapeutic Path of Sami-Ali”

The festival will culminate on October 24 with the closing evening “Intoxications” (Ivresses), combining Arab-Andalusian samâ‘ with the Whirling Dervishes of Aleppo, featuring Wasim Arslan, Anas Al Attar, and Noureddine Tahiri in a final movement celebrating spiritual love.