The Gnaoua World Music Festival pairs Morocco’s Gnaoua musical tradition with jazz, pop, rock, soul and contemporary world music acts, drawing a diverse international lineup to the port city of Essaouira each year. For the festival’s three days the city fills with markets, street performances and walkabout theatre alongside the main stages. This street-level coverage, shot across the 2014 and 2015 editions, stayed close to the ground: traditional Gnaoua musicians photographed mid-performance in their ceremonial dress, families moving through the crowded medina streets between stages, and the wind-blown, sea-facing crowds gathered along Essaouira’s ramparts.
