An explosion of flavour, beats and colour, three-day electronic music and arts festival Oasis—which was founded five years ago—is Marrakesh's most exciting yearly event. Situated on the outskirts of the city, the Fellah boutique hotel hosts this exotic day-to-night house and techno event. Representing the tastes and influences of Morocco's burgeoning creative scene, ever since Oasis' arrival, Marrakesh's approach to fun has broadened. Staging hidden art spaces the Fellah hotel—conceptualised by local contemporary curators MACAAL and Art Comes First—Oasis simultaneously entertains and educates.
It is a welcome platform for local DJs with rising international presence, and local label Casa Voyager has benefited from the platform this festival offers. Cherry-picking talent from across Africa, that represent the vibes and energy from remote villages to city life, the surge in creative interest in Morocco originates from the rawness of life here. Amine K's pioneering Moroko Loko raves first inspired the country's unbridled underground party scene. First taking form in 2009, interest in the local exclusive and elusive events has grown exponentially. Evolving from small, secret gatherings across Marrakesh to sell out line-ups, playing to crowds of over 5000 staged across Montreal, Paris, Madrid, Ibiza and more, Moroko Loko parties go off.
Fresh from this year's landmark, three-day extravaganza, which saw Four Tet, Seth Troxler, Theo Parrish, Jayda G and more take to the stage, Oasis founder Marjana Jaidi tells Complex that the future of Marrakesh's party scene is explosive. "We always wanted Oasis to represent Morocco as much as possible," she says. "Almost half of our audience comes from overseas. If someone flew in but didn't get a chance to explore Marrakesh, they would at least get a taste of the culture on-site. And in the festival's early years, we did this through local DJs, food vendors and the souk we used to have. But as we became more established, we started focusing on collaborating with the local creatives that are pushing food, fashion, art and music forward in the region. Oasis has grown into a platform for discovery and cultural exchange between Morocco, Africa and the rest of the world. The people and entities that we collaborate with play a huge role in creating the unique vibe and spirit of the festival."
Oasis will be taking over Marrakesh nightlife once again in 2020 (September 11-13), and you can get tickets and more information for that right here.
