Harvest Festival Marrakech draws on the tradition, present in many parts of the world, of holding an annual celebration around the time of the main harvest seasons. Beyond the historical celebration of the food harvest and the seasonal respite from agricultural labor, harvest festivals have evolved to embrace and cultivate a sense of community. This is how our festival approaches the concept of harvesting: not just as a physical act, but as a metaphor for collective growth and creation. It becomes a space where we gather to learn and exchange transformative ideas about the transmission of ancestral practices, to remember to listen deeply to the land and those who steward it and to address the critical issues facing our social, cultural, and communal landscapes. 

We create paths of connection between our High Atlas communities and our Marrakech based communities whilst also sharing and expanding on these with translocal communities. 

Harvest Festival Marrakech is organised by the Global Diversity Foundation (GDF) and was born out of the High Atlas Cultural Landscapes programme, which has been co-led alongside communities in the High Atlas region for over a decade.

Our programming takes on multidisciplinary forms, from film screenings, participatory workshops, discursive events, exhibitions and food markets to community exchanges, concerts and field trips. We create space for alternative explorations on environmental and social justice, the politics of food, water, land and cultural heritage and recognise the value of working with art and culture as tools to grapple with these contexts. 

How can cultural practitioners and cultural infrastructures share space with farmers, landworkers, agroecologists, cooperatives, community herbalists and traditional knowledge holders and come together to codesign ways we approach our shared existence and futures? 

Harvest Festival is a space to continuously be asking these questions, be challenged by them and give space and soil to radically imagine what these possible futures can look like. 

Location 

Harvest Festival Marrakech takes place across the city at various locations which shift according to the programme of each edition. We host events in cultural spaces, gardens, restaurants, cinemas, cafes, and more. If you would like to open your space up to host a HFM event we are always looking for new partners to collaborate with. 

Timing 

Harvest Festival runs semi-annually in Autumn (October)  and Spring (May), dates fluctuate yearly but usually begin somewhere around the mid-month mark. We also host a special edition recognising Yennayer (Amazigh New Year, around the 12th to 14th of January). 

We will always aim to create open-minded spaces that can hold the reflections of the diverse range of backgrounds that come together during our events. 

Language: We encourage Darija (Moroccan Arabic) as the primary language in speaking events where possible and are working on getting stronger at offering mediation and translation of language in all events (you are almost guaranteed to find a friendly face who will love to translate if you find yourself not speaking the language of the event). English is becoming more widely recognised as the preferred non-native language in Morocco and to that end, we focus on Darija and English in our events and communications. We aim to be flexible to the preference of those leading events as well as the audiences in attendance.

Costs: Harvest Festival Marrakech is a not-for-profit space, therefore we do not charge for anything we curate and produce. If an event is ticketed, that money goes directly to the business or space hosting it to cover the cost of the space producing the event. Some events may have limited capacities which is why you will occasionally find a registration essential link in the programme.

Accessibility and Inclusivity are always transforming based on the needs that arise, if there is anything we can do to grow in these areas we welcome all feedback. 

As a festival, we depend on our local community to ideate and codesign our programme alongside us as well as to host the festival’s offerings in their physical space. Community members are a vital part of the Harvest Festival. Our community is aligned with our values of creating equitable futures that extend from the local to the global where acknowledged intersections can allow for accelerated change. 

Like us, community members are invested in protecting biodiversity, social livelihoods and cultural heritage as well as working towards transforming our access to resources from land to food and culture. 

If you would like to be a community member and collaborate with us please send a short (50-100 word) text to info@marrakechfestivals.org – in Arabic, English or French – that expresses who you are, what you do and why you align with us.