Celebrating the Timeless Bond Between Man and Horse
The Festival of Fantasia, also known as Game of Gunpowder, is one of Morocco’s biggest and most popular festivals. The festival is a celebration of the relationship between man and horse. This Berber festival comes from when Berber men used to fight on horseback in battle. The horsemanship is shown off in a large display either during or after the celebration.
A Colourful Showcase of Berber Horsemanship
The presentation is a bright and colourful show which celebrates and shows off the skills and talents of the Berber riders. They each line up in traditional dress on their horses and canter 200 meters before firing their gunpowder-loaded weapons all at the same time, creating a unified sound.
Catch the Fantasia Festival in Meknes and Beyond
There is a show of the Fantasia Festival in Meknes in October, one of our destinations on the Ultimate Morocco Tour, but these festivals are traditional and happen not for tourists but around Morocco at different times of the year. We have often come across groups of horses, being trained on the beach on our Morocco Tours to Essaouira, which is in itself a wonderful show of horsemanship.
Discover More Festivals on Your Morocco Tour
Other festivals occur throughout the year in Morocco and can enhance any of our Morocco Tours with a trip to the Sahara Nomad Festival at M’hamid El Ghizlane, usually held over the winter months or the Gnaoua Music Festival in Essaouira in the summer, please ask us when booking as they dates change each year.
Embark on a Majestic Horse Riding Adventure
Horse riding in Morocco is also a fantastic addition to any of our Morocco Tours and can be arranged either as part of a Tour to the South & Sahara or to the Atlantic Coast. We also arrange small group Sahara Horse Trekking holidays which are the ultimate horse riding experience in Morocco, wild camping each night in the desert.
