- Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fez will host, from 4 to 6 July, the first edition of the Street Arts Festival. Thus, for three days, the large public squares of the city (Place Florence, Place Boujloud, Hassan II Avenue, and Place R'cif) will experience permanent animation with colourful street shows, led by artists representing various artistic fields. Initiated by the Ministry of Culture, the first Fez Street Arts Festival aims to be a catalyst for local, cultural, and tourist development for the city of Fez. This artistic and cultural event also aims to promote and value contemporary Moroccan culture, to support young talents in various artistic styles, to accompany new trends in the matter, to strengthen cultural exchanges with other countries, and to go out to meet the general public. "We wish, through the organisation of this Festival, to create a link between artists and the public around street arts, which are at the origin of live performance in Morocco. We also hope, through this event, to encourage young Moroccan talents and safeguard the intangible heritage of the street, which is of extreme richness," specifies Azzedine Karra, Regional Director of Culture of Fez-Boulemane. For him, the city of Fez was chosen to host this Festival because it represents this bridge between authenticity and modernity, which allows it to establish a kind of balance between the traditional interest given to so-called "heritage" arts and the emergence of new forms of contemporary artistic expression, which seek to make a place for themselves on the public scene. Concerning the artistic content of the Festival, it is dedicated to the main artistic expressions, namely music, visual arts, and sculpture as well as theatre.
On the musical side, the Festival will see the participation of artists and groups representative of the new national musical scene (rap, fusion) as well as folkloric troupes from different regions of the Kingdom. As for sculpture and visual art, in addition to workshops and meetings between young people and professional artists, the Festival will allow the public to discover the art of graffiti and other forms of "Street art". As for theatre, in addition to the traditional art of the "halqa", a popular circle handling the art of improvisation and attraction, the public will have an appointment with several open-air theatrical performances.
This first edition of the Fez Street Arts Festival will be closed in beauty by a grandiose concert, where groups from the new Moroccan musical scene will perform.
-* The festival takes place on three stages
-* A stage dedicated to modern music, intended for young people and the older repertoire to recall the Moroccan musical heritage.
-* A second stage is devoted to sculpture and visual art. In addition to workshops and meetings between young people and professional artists, the art of graffiti and other forms of street art will be exhibited there.
-* Theatrical performances will also be given in the open air with, among others, the art of the "halqa".
Provider / Source : Afaf Razouki, Le Matin
