The short answer
Achoura falls on the 10th day of the Islamic new year. In Marrakech, children beat small clay drums called taarija through the lanes, bonfires (shaala) are lit on the eve, and the next morning brings zemzem, a water fight across the neighbourhood. If you walk the derbs that morning, expect to get wet.
In more detail
It is a children's festival as much as anything, and you feel it most in the residential quarters rather than on the main tourist routes. The drums, the bonfires and the water fight all happen in the derbs where families live.
Local rules can limit the celebrations. One year, 2020, the governor's office banned Achoura festivities in Marrakech, so the bonfires in particular depend on the year and the authorities.
Because it follows the Islamic lunar calendar, Achoura moves about eleven days earlier each year. Islamic months begin with the sighting of the new moon, confirmed in Morocco by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, so every future date is an estimate until it is announced. Check the date for the year you travel.
Good to know
- Keep phones and cameras in a sealed bag that morning.
- Expect drumming in the medina in the days before.
- Watch the bonfires from a distance.