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Founded in 2015, Oasis Festival has firmly established itself as North Africa’s premier destination festival. Welcoming the world’s biggest DJs and live acts to Morocco, many for the first time, as well as showcasing a wealth of regional talent, the festival’s carefully curated programme has helped bring plenty of international attention and new audiences to the flourishing local scene.
Oasis Festival is a unique experience that marries music, arts and culture with a world-class line-up in the ancient city of Marrakech. Set against the stunning backdrop of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, the intimate destination festival plays out in a party paradise of tropical gardens, palm trees, cacti and swimming pools. With three stages, daily yoga, the finest local cuisine and a cultural programme that offers plenty of opportunities to explore and soak up the vast history, arts and culture of the region, Oasis is an utterly authentic North-African holiday experience.
As Oasis turns 5 there’s plenty of musical treats in store. Headline sets come from Four Tet, Amelie Lens and Dixon B2B Âme, plus there’s debut performances from party-starter Seth Troxler, BBC Radio 1 favourite Jayda G, Parisian trio Apollonia, Australian house maestro Mall Grab and Korean selector 박혜진 Park Hye Jin. Detroit heroes Theo Parrish, Moodymann and DJ Bone mix with Berlin tastemakers Dana Ruh and Anastasia Kristensen, and naturally there’s an abundance of Moroccan talent on show, including Casa Voyager founder Driss Bennis, eclectic selector Yasmean, Moroko Loko founder Amine K, rising star Monile and acts including Polyswitch, Malik, Massimo and Nomads.
Some of dance music’s finest live shows will also land at Oasis Festival, including throwback house and disco act Hercules & Love Affair, downtempo Andean-electronic producer Nicola Cruz, master of techno melancholy Recondite, raw, lo-fi warehouse specialists Paranoid London and the expertly nuanced electronics of Baltra. Ibiza favourites Cassy and Eats Everything drop in for a back-to-back session and there’s sets from Loco Dice, Optimo, Silvie Loto, Archie Hamilton, Or:la, Horse Meat Disco, Josey Rebelle, Sonja Moonear and many more.
Elsewhere in the festival, Squidsoup, a UK-based, international collective of artists who create unique, dynamic light installations around the world, will make their Moroccan debut. The team, who have previously exhibited their work at leading galleries and festivals including TATE Britain, Sydney Opera House, Sonar, Burning Man and Glastonbury Festival, as well as collaborating with Four Tet on a series of events, will present two installations at Oasis.
For this special anniversary edition, Oasis has also invited MACAAL and Art Comes First to curate the programme for the festival’s newest space ‘The Mbari House’. A tribute to The Mbari Club, the Nigerian arts, music and literary hub founded by Ulli Beier, The Mbari House will bring together the best of music, art, fashion and design from Morocco and beyond.
Music sessions come from Mercury Prize winner Sampha (DJ set), Noirwave innovator Petite Noir (Live), acclaimed Moroccan rapper Issam and Jamaican producer Walshy Fire, better known as one-third of influential, reggae/dancehall-inspired EDM outfit, Major Lazer. South African GQOM pioneer DJ Lag, Casablancan beatmaker Saib, Shingai, and ACF duo Voodoo Gents also join the bill, along with a whole host of surprise guest appearances throughout the weekend.
The Mbari House will exhibit artworks from French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui, Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, Marrakech-based photographer M’hammed Kilito, Kenyan photographer Cyrus Kabiru, Moroccan artists Mohamed El Baz and Mustapha Akrim, along with live ceramic painting from Moroccan designer Bouchra Boudoua.
Guests can also enjoy a series of insightful panel talks, including ACF (Sam Lambert, Shaka Maidoh), Marché Noir (Amah Ayivi), M’hammed Kilito and Bouchra Boudouaon the importance of sustainable design and Oasis founder Marjana Jaidi on the festival’s five-year evolution from dancefloor getaway to multi-disciplinary cultural event. Finally, the pop-up store at The Mbari House will feature vintage treasures courtesy of Marché Noir, clothing by Art Comes First, a Polaroid Photo Project with Art Comes First and much more.
Soak up the sun, dance beneath the stars, cool off in crystal clear swimming pools and enjoy breathtaking views of the North African landscape, all soundtracked by a forward-thinking line-up of electronic music’s finest. The fifth edition of Oasis Festival is an utterly essential date on this year’s festival calendar.
Oasis 2019 takes place from 13th – 15th September 2019. For a taster of what to expect watch the Oasis Festival 2018 aftermovie. Book your place and keep up to date with all of the latest news at theoasisfest.com.
