New Year’s Eve dinner in the Agafay desert, near Marrakech
The 31st of December in the Agafay desert: a festive table under the open sky, Moroccan music played live, a fire show, and the new year brought in forty minutes from the city.
An evening the city cannot give you
Marrakech has no shortage of New Year’s Eve dinners. What the Agafay desert adds is everything around the table: forty minutes from the city, a camp lit by lanterns, a horizon with nothing built on it, and a sky that actually goes dark.
The evening runs on live Moroccan music rather than a playlist. Gnawa opens it, the drums of the dakka marrakchia take over, a belly dancer and a saxophonist carry the middle of the night, and a DJ keeps the floor busy until the fire show and the cake at midnight.
The price depends on the camp and the menu. Ask and we come back with a figure and what it covers.
How the evening runs
The camp sets the exact times and confirms them a few days before. The order of the evening does not change.
- Guests arrive and are shown to their table
- Welcome drink around the fire
- Dinner served, Moroccan menu
- Gnawa, then the dakka marrakchia
- Belly dancer and live saxophone
- DJ and dancing
- Fire show
- Midnight: the new year, and the cake
What you will see
Gnawa and dakka marrakchia
Gnawa opens the evening: the guembri, the metal qraqeb and voices that carry a long way over open ground. The dakka marrakchia follows, the drum ensemble particular to Marrakech, and the tempo of the night changes with it.
DJ, belly dancer and live saxophone
A belly dancer between courses, a saxophonist playing over the set, and a DJ who takes the room once the plates are cleared. The floor stays open for as long as the night lasts.
Fire show
A fire performance in the open, at a distance from the tables. It works out here because there is nothing around it: no walls, no neighbours, and the light carries across the Agafay desert.
The New Year cake
At midnight the cake comes out and the year is seen in at the table, under the sky rather than under a ceiling.
Why the Agafay desert for New Year’s Eve
- Forty minutes from Marrakech by road: the desert without a day of travel.
- A camp rather than a ballroom. Tables outside when the weather allows, a real fire, and a sky with no city glow in it.
- Moroccan music played live, by musicians, rather than a themed evening imported from elsewhere.
- The evening can become a night: a tent in the Agafay desert, then breakfast facing the sunrise.
Practical details
- Date — 31 December
- Where — A camp in the Agafay desert, 40 minutes from Marrakech
- Transfer — Return transfer from Marrakech, arranged on request
- What to wear — Something warm. December nights in the Agafay desert are cold once the sun is down.
- Children — Families are welcome. Tell us their ages when you book.
- Drinks — Alcohol is served in some camps and not in others. We confirm before you book.
- Staying over — A tent can be added to the evening, subject to availability.
Book the New Year’s Eve dinner
Tell us how many of you there are, and whether you would like a transfer from Marrakech or a tent for the night. We answer within the hour.