Fes, Morocco — Activities
Fes Culture
Cultural offerings in Fes abound: ask for details at the tourist office, where you can also usually buy tickets. Lectures, exhibitions and films sometimes take place at the Institut Francais, 33 rue Loukili (tel: 055 623 921; website: www.institutfrancaisfes.com). Local music can mostly be heard in the hotels and sometimes in the streets, especially during festivals and after breaking the Ramadan fast.
The most prominent annual festival in Morocco, the Festival of World Sacred Music (website: www.fesfestival.com), takes place in Fes around the end of May - early June and lasts for about 10 days. It brings in visitors and performers from all over the world to share spiritual music from their cultures. Sacred music doesn’t mean that the music performed is necessarily religious; rather that the music will lift viewers’ spirits as musicians display a variety of styles, from European classical to Sufi music, African classical guitar to Japanese drumming and American gospel. A variety of venues are used and some concerts are free. Accommodation during the festival is hard to come by, so arrangements need to be made as far in advance as possible.
A few cinemas in the Ville Nouvelle show foreign films, mainly dubbed into French as does the Cinema Boujeloud (inside Bab Boujeloud) in Fes el-Bali.
Fes Tours
A walking tour with an official guide is a good way to begin to get to grips with the intricacies of old Fes. Official guides wear photo identity cards issued by the Ministry of Tourism and can be hired at the tourist office or via larger hotels hotels. Always specify the principal sights you would like to see and whether or not you wish to be taken to shops. Guides fees are fixed by the government, but it’s wise to confirm the amount before setting off.
You can hire a tourist taxi for a sightseeing tour of the city through the tourist office or larger hotels.
The company Fez Medina (website: www.fesmedina.com) hosts tours from time to time for small groups of individuals interested in the restoration process in the Fes el-Bali. Visits are made to Fassi artisans whose skills make the renovations possible, and to a traditional mosaic factory, where the intricate patterns of Moroccan zellighe are fired, glazed and shaped.
