Jazzablanca

Jazzablanca started in 2006 as a jazz festival and has followed the same path as most festivals of that name - the jazz remains but the programming has broadened into soul, funk, hip hop, electronic and pop, with international headliners on the main stage and a scene stage for Moroccan and regional artists. The structure that matters is the free stage: alongside the ticketed programme there is an open stage that runs without charge, which brings a much larger and more local audience than the paying one and is where a good deal of the actual discovery happens. The festival has moved venue several times, including to Anfa Park, and the dates shift within the summer, so both need checking. It is one of a cluster of Moroccan festivals - with Mawazine, Gnaoua at Essaouira and Timitar at Agadir - that between them make the summer the country's music season.

Highlights

• Jazz widened - the original programming now including soul, funk, hip hop and electronic.
• A free stage - running alongside the ticketed one and drawing the larger local crowd.
• A regional scene stage - Moroccan and North African artists programmed separately.
• A moving venue - the festival has changed site several times.

When to go

Summer; dates and venue are announced each year. Several days.

Before you go

The venue has moved repeatedly - confirm where it is. Main-stage tickets are not cheap. The free stage is crowded. Casablanca summer humidity is heavy.

Nearby

Anfa and the corniche are west; central Casablanca is east.