Visiting Essaouira in June: Gnaoua World Music Festival and Eid al-Adha

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June in Essaouira sees two festivals that visitors should be aware of (Eid al-Adha and Gnaoua World Music Festival). Also, the Atlantic winds strengthen throughout June and the city sees an influx of kite-surfers. But with temperatures hovering around 25°C, it’s a lovely climate to explore the region.

June is a lovely time of year to visit Essaouira in terms of temperatures and climate, although you need to be aware of two festivals (one religious and one musical) that affect the pace of life in the city.

At the start of the month (6th and 7th in 2025), Eid al-Adha, ‘the feast of the sacrifice’ takes place. Businesses and shops close during this time, and animals (commonly sheep and goats) are sacrificed on rooftops. The city dramatically slows down for a couple of days and if you take a stroll around the medina, you might have it all to yourself.

This is all in sharp contrast to the end of the month (26th to 28th in 2025) when the Gnaoua World Music Festival comes to town. With hundreds of thousands of visitors arriving into the city, these four days are some of the most vibrant and exciting of the year, but the city’s infrastructure is tested to the max. Make sure you’ve booked accommodation as a far in advance as possible at this time of year, or consider spending a few nights away from the city until the festival ends.

Aside from these two events, June is the shoulder-season, falling as it does just before the peak tourism months of July and August. While temperatures are soaring to uncomfortable temperatures elsewhere in Morocco, particularly in Marrakech and Fez, Essaouira in June maintains its beautifully mild climate due to the coastal location and breeze off the Atlantic Ocean, with average day temperatures around 23°C. The interchanging weather days often experienced in April and May are calming down, and the only question each day is: how windy is it? Essaouira is coined ‘The Windy City of Africa’ after all.

Weekends are still busy on Essaouira beach with domestic day trippers, especially on days with very little wind. But during the week, Essaouira still feels rather quiet as European summer holidays haven’t yet started, and weekday evenings on the beach are very quiet, aside from when the Gnaoua World Music Festival is on.

READ: When is the best time to visit Essaouira?

Essaouira weather in June

Temperatures in July hover around 23°C, and sunshine is pretty much guaranteed every day. You will be very unlucky if it rains during your visit to Essaouira in June.

On windy days it can feel cooler, and on calm days it will feel much warmer, sometimes muggy. The wind often tends to build up throughout the day. In the evenings you will need a light jumper; yes, it can be pretty chilly on the beach at sunset.

Though there are often days over 30°C, and, if you go inland just a few kilometres, it’s much much hotter than by the coast.

You can also expect a couple of days where the town and beach are covered in sea mist, with little wind. The island off the coast disappears and you can’t see from one end of the beach to the other. It’s rather eerie and an interesting contrast to the bright, sunny days.

The sea beckons for a refreshing dip. This is the Atlantic Ocean, so don’t expect it to be warm; the water is very much on the chilly side. Plus, due to the wind, it can feel rather chilly emerging from the water.

Is it too windy in June?

And let’s talk about the wind in June in Essaouira; it can be very strong and if you’re on the beach, the sand will be whipped up and get in every crevasse. This wind is typical for most of the year in Essaouira.

But there are some calmer days in June with a light wind for sunbathing, and there’s always the medina to seek shelter from (perhaps try our self-guided Essaouira walking tour).

The guaranteed winds in June also mean that it’s a great month for kite-surfing, which is one of the top things to do in Essaouira.

Is Essaouira busy in June?

June in Essaouira is not quite the high season as it’s not yet the school holidays in Morocco or Europe. This is the shoulder season, and so you get the benefit of long sunny days with very low risk of any rain, but without the tourist numbers of the high season.

However, weekend days can be exceptionally busy with domestic day trippers, especially on days when there is little to no wind. Towards the medina end of the beach is often much busier to the far end of the beach where the camels and kite-surfers reside. So if you are finding it rather busy, just take a stroll along the shoreline to the far end of the beach, and even further towards the sand dunes by Diabat should you so wish. You can always catch a, Essaouira petit taxi back to the medina for a flat fee of 8DH if you don’t fancy the walk back.

Towards the end of the month (see below), the Gnaoua World Music Festival comes to town and attracts 500,000 visitors to the city. It’s a hectic and exciting few days but the infrastructure of the city is tested to its limits and accommodation is difficult to find. If you’re not a fan of crowds, it’s best to avoid the city during these few days.

Eid al-Adha in Essaouira

READ OUR GUIDE: What to expect in Essaouira during Eid al-Adha

On the couple of days running up to Eid al-Adha, around the medina of Essaouira will feel exceptionally busy with locals buying food and last minute items for the festival (think how busy Christmas Eve is in Christian countries). Public transport is also very busy for the few days leading up to the festival as people are travelling to see family.

Eid al-Adha is officially a 2-day public holiday across Morocco. During these two days, banks, post offices, and public offices are closed, along with many shop and restaurants, and other businesses (including Carrefour). In fact, many businesses close for up to five days as people take an extended holiday. Shops selling alcohol close at least two days before the festival, and reopen 2 to 3 days after Eid.

If you had planned to do any Essaouira activities such as kite-surfing or quad-biking, note that these business will be closed over Eid al-Adha.

Typically everything is closed on the first morning of Eid; Muslims are attending special prayers and sermons at the mosque, and sheep/goats are being sacrificed. So, especially if you are self-catering, make sure you have any food essentials in. The Essaouira hotels will be serving meals as per usual.

By the afternoon/evening of the first day, some cafes and smaller businesses (particularly those relying on tourism) start to reopen, and you will see a few street sellers. The beach will also start to get busy later in the day as families take a stroll.

An important part of Eid al-Adha is the sacrifice of an animal, usually a sheep. Staring in the morning of Eid al-Adha, you can expect to see sheep and and goats heads being bbq’d on the street and in doorways, with an acrid smoke filling the air. There are also discarded sheep skins and animal parts left on the streets to be collected. It’s a rather primeval sight for modern day Morocco and a fascinating contrast to usual every day life in Essaouira. Admittedly this isn’t for everyone, and some Western travellers may find the scenes disturbing. 

Gnaoua World Music Festival

Since its inaugural edition in 1998, the Gnaoua World Music Festival has been attracting almost half a million visitors to the city each June. The focus of the festival is largely on Gnawa musicians and performances so if you’ve never heard this unique and beguiling form of music, you’re in for a treat.

The festival is an opportunity for Gnawa artists from across Morocco and beyond to meet and share their love and passion for music and performance. It has become one of the largest festivals in the entire country and it does put a strain on Essaouira and the surrounding countryside. Some visitors love the energy and noise that transforms the usually calm squares and streets, while others find it all a bit too much and look forward to quieter days returning.

If you do decide it’s for you, many of the events are free and often held at impromptu performances on the beach. Others are ticketed and slightly more formal affairs, although you may notice an increase in the performance values and music quality.

Is June a good time to visit Essaouira?

Aside from strong winds off the Atlantic, which are typical almost year round in Essaouira, June weekdays are a great time to visit with fewer tourists, and warm, sunny days. Weekends can get rather busy with domestic day trippers, especially on days with little to no wind. Weekday evenings are especially lovely for a sunset stroll.

Just be wary of dates for the two festivals (Eid al-Adha and Gnaoua World Music Festival) as these will definitely affect your visit in some way.

And don’t worry about it being too hot, the temperature in Essaouira in June is often 10-15°C lower than Marrakech. But if there is a very hot day with little wind, we suggest enjoying a pool day at either Les Jardins de Villa Maroc and Hôtel Domaine de L’Arganeraie, which are both open to day guests.

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