MOGA FESTIVAL
Sep 28 – Oct 2
Essaouira, Morocco
@mogafestival
#MOGATRIBE
#MOGAESSA22
MOGA Essaouira expands from a three- to five-day festival for the first time in 2022 as its celebrated MOGA OFFprogramme runs from September 28th and 29th throughout the gorgeous and historic city of Essaouira. For full programme details and to discover more head to www.mogafestival.com.
Establishing itself as a boutique festival where cultural experience takes precedence while celebrating the history of Essaouira, MOGA has developed its OFF programme in collaboration with key cultural institutions of the city.
Essaouira is a city that can be discovered from all angles. Its Medina – aka the Old Town – is protected by 18th-century ramparts called the Skala de la Kasbah, which has been used as a set for various film and TV productions including Game of Thrones, Othello, Kingdom of Heaven, and John Wick, and since 2009 has been certified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Essaouira’s stunning Atlantic beaches are ideal for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing because of the powerful trade winds that have made it so famous over the years. The city has a bohemian spirit inherited from the past when it was a bastion for hippies in the late 60s and 70s – a city bathed in spirituality and inhabited by colorful characters. Today, Essaouira draws on that chic hippie spirit as an essential destination for digital nomads and lovers of surfing and yoga from around the world.
It is on this basis that the MOGA OFF programme is built, featuring “free ride sessions” on the beach, rental of free surfboards and kite boards for festival-goers, an opening concert at the Game Of Thrones filming location, DJ sets in the best Souiri clubs in town, an a photography exhibition in the alleys of the Medina, traditional Moroccan cooking classes, music production and writing workshops, talks at the House of Memory, and so much more.
Says Matthieu Corosine, co-founder of MOGA, “We are very proud of this brand new OFF programme which highlights the different aspects of the city. It was important for us that this festival be inclusive by introducing Essaouira to the world, but also by offering residents free events so that they can share the MOGA experience. Sharing and exchange are the keywords of this edition.”
MOGA also partners with many Souiri establishments such as restaurants, activities that offer discounts to MOGA pass holders, hammam, quad, camel rides, catering and more. Find a full list of these ‘hotspots’ at www.mogafestival.com.
MOGA IN PROGRAMME
Three days of celebration for MOGA pass holders at the Sofitel Essaouira Mogador with two pools, 60 artists, a creators market, yoga classes, gong ceremony, and more.
FRI 30 SEP
Acil – Adam Dirk’heim – Ahm Red – Ayyu – Del Amico – DJ Vibe – Funktonio – Hisham – Kawtar Sadik (live) – Kich – Nawfal – Parallells (hybrid) – Polo & Pan (dj set) – Req Teq – S/_ash – Saib. – Sassy J – Sébastien Léger – Vlada – Yahya (live)
SAT 1 OCT
Acid Arab (dj set) – Bel ge – Bloko – Diass – DJ Python – Habibi Funk – Hassan – Jan Blomqvist – John Talabot – Khalid Sansi – Ladygoule – Lala Tamar – Lee Burridge – Meibi – Moon.wav – Moullinex – Mr. ID – Nomads – Retro Cassetta – Simo Jettou – Timinu
SUN 2 OCT
Alyssa & Gia – Atlassi – Blossom Doudou b2b Slim Peace – CC:Disco! – DAOX – DJ Tennis – Francesco del Garda – Guedra Guedra (dj set) – Irenee S – Jimi Jules – MAOU – Monile – Nathabes – Ojoo Gyal – Petre Inspirescu – Rammö – Rui Vargas – Shimon – Soichi Terada (live) – Sonja Moonear
TICKET PACKAGES
ABOUT ESSAOUIRA
Essaouira, first called Amogdul (“The well-kept” in Berber) then Mogador following the passage of the Portuguese and Spanish conquerors. The medina of Essaouira, the old traditional city, with its ramparts and its souks, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was also the setting for Game of Thrones and many films (Othello, Kingdom of Heaven). It is now a popular spot for surfers and kite surfers from all over the world who appreciate its relaxed lifestyle and its inherited hippie lifestyle. Indeed, the libertarian movement of the 1960s experienced a great boom in Morocco. These young travelers in search of enjoyment, coming from all over the world, have found in Essaouira a favorable place to live their libertarian dream. Among them Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens found refuge there.
ABOUT MOGA
MOGA is a boutique festival dedicated to electronic music and inspired by bohemian culture, the Atlantic and its laid-back, surf-oriented lifestyle. The singularity of the festival lies in its unique experience connecting festival-goers from all over the world of different cultures and origins around dance, music, art and well-being but also values of sharing, openness, exchange and interculturality. MOGA has created a tribe over the years — a strong community of nomads, the #mogatribe now stretches from Portugal (MOGA Caparica edition in June) to Morocco (MOGA Essaouira edition in October) and soon beyond. MOGA is the discovery of a place, a culture, a city at the heart of the concept of the festival, in association with the local tourist offices in both Morocco and Portugal.
