Gnaoua World Music Festival
The Gnaoua World Music Festival is a Gnawa music festival held annually in Essaouira, Morocco. The festival provides a platform for a meeting point of music and dialogue between foreign artists and the mystical Gnaoua (also Gnawa) musicians. In this melting-pot of musical fusion, the Gnaoua masters invite players of jazz, pop, rock and contemporary World music to explore new avenues. The festivals see up to 500,000 visitors every year over four days; many of the performances can be viewed for free, which complicates comparison with other festivals.