Morocco: Boulevard Fest prepares for eclectic 2018 edition

29 Aug 2018 - 17:00

Boulevard Festival 2018 will be held in Casablanca, Morocco, next month. As usual, the festival, which is in its 18th edition, is expected to offer memorable moments for festivalgoers, and will include a tribute to the late journalist and writer Amale Samie, who was influential in the success of the festival.

Gallery from the 2017 edition of Boulevard Festival. Photos: Chadi Ilias

Boulevard has attracted thousands of fans from Morocco and around the world for the past 17 years. The year the festival returns with a focus on younger music fans interested in the latest urban and contemporary genres.

The festival will be held in two parts. The first is the Tremplin battle of the bands from 14 to 16 September, which aims to discover upcoming rock, metal, fusion and hip hop artists. The winners of the competition – two representing hip hop, two representing rock/metal, and two representing world/fusion – will then get to share the stage with big-name artists during the main festival the following weekend.

Artists who have performed at Boulevard Festival previously include Gojira, Sepultura, Arch Enemy, Moonspell, Kreator, The Exploited, De La Soul, Asian Dub Foundation, Dub Inc, High Tone, Keziah Jones, Hoba Hoba Spirit and Chinese Man, among many others.

The winners will also attend music industry and training workshops and get to record two singles as part of the prize. Although the first weekend of Boulevard is dedicated to the coveted competition, various other concerts will still take place in the evenings.

The second phase, scheduled from September 20 to 23, will feature a diverse line-up spanning the genre spectrum. The line-up has not been made public yet, but the organisers say an announcement will be made in early September.

This year the festival mourns the death of renowned Moroccan journalist Amale 'Tonton' (Uncle) Samie who passed away in January. Samie was an avid supporter of the festival and a vibrant tribute will be paid to him, the organisers said.

The festival also owes its success to strong partnerships. In 2018, Boulevard will celebrate the 10th anniversary of collaborations with the Spanish region of Aragon, which has fostered important artistic exchanges throughout the years.

Further partnerships for the 2018 edition have also been established with partners across Africa, which will include various residencies and creative sessions around genres like electro, hip hop and the Bedouin musical style aita.

Boulevard 2018 is free to the public and will take place at the RUC stadium in Casablanca.

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