Mid-June – dependant on the harvest
Sefrou is a small ancient walled city, less than an hour’s drive from Fes in the Fes-Bouelmane region of the Middle Atlas Mountains. One of the oldest in Morocco, the city even pre-dates the 8th Century architecture of Fes, although its white houses are incredibly simple in design by comparison. Its seasonal river, the Oued Aggai cuts the city in half, with small bridges a good 10 meters above the river to allow people but not cars to pass. In the spring the waters rage through in torrents; the reason for the city being erected so high above its wild flow.
Sefrou’s Cherry Festival in mid-June each year celebrates the harvest with a rich cultural programme. The mountainous terrain is ideal for the thousands of cherry trees, flowering madly in spring, and boughs bowing under the heavy weight of their abundantly plump and juicy fruits in summer.
Drawing people from far and wide, the Harvest Festival has a colourful line-up of music, dance, sporting events, a fairground, torch-lit procession, and the crowning of ‘Miss Cherry’, or the ‘Cherry Queen’, although the actual cherries remain the centre of attention!
Sefrou is perfect for a day trip from Fes, so if you are staying in one of our wonderful Fes Riads in June, check with your hotel for the dates of the Festival this year.
