Morocco Rose Festival 2025: A Celebration of Fragrance

What is your impression of Morocco? Golden desert, red buildings, or blue waves? Apart from these, the pink Rose Festival shows you a different side of Morocco. You can sing and dance in the fragrance of flowers. When is the festival? How to get there? What are the activities? Read this article and get all the practical information to start your Morocco journey easily.

What Is Morocco's Rose Festival

Morocco's Rose Festival is held in the town of Kelaat M'gouna to celebrate the harvest of roses and select the annual Rose Queen, which symbolizes harvest and beauty.

This town is the "Rose Capital of Morocco", located in the Dades Valley (also known as the "Rose Valley"). About 20,000 people gather in this charming town every year. During the celebration, the whole town is surrounded by the fragrance of roses, the streets are covered with petals, boys and girls wear rose bracelets, people sing and dance. In addition, the market sells various rose products such as rose water, soap, essential oils, creams, perfumes, and dried flowers, allowing you to be immersed in the romantic atmosphere and feel the colors, fragrance and joy.

When Is Morocco's Rose Festival in 2025

The three-day Moroccan Rose Festival is usually held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between the end of April and mid-May, depending on the rose harvest time.

As of now, the specific date of the 2025 Rose Festival has not been announced. It is recommended that you get the latest information from the Moroccan Tourism Bureau or local official channels before planning your trip.

What to See

Dreamy Sea of Flowers in Rose Valley

Dades Valley, also known as the Rose Valley, its rose fields spread along both sides of the river. Although most of the roses were picked during the festival, you can still see unpicked flowers dotted in the fields. The delicate little Persian roses sway slightly in the sun, and the air is filled with a faint rose scent. In the early morning or evening, the breeze and the fragrance of flowers in the rose fields is one of the most romantic moments of the Rose Festival.

Magnificent Scenery of the Atlas Mountains

The Dades Valley is surrounded by the majestic Atlas Mountains. The rolling mountains show magnificent colors against the backdrop of the morning light or sunset, and complement each other with the pink rose fields, like a vivid picture. When in the festive market or strolling on the valley trails, you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of nature.

A Wide Range of Rose Products

Rose Products in Morocco

There is a variety of rose-related products in the market. The pure natural rose water, which locals use for skin care, beauty, and even in cooking. In addition, there are rose essential oils, rose soaps, rose creams, rose perfumes, rose candies and rose teas, exuding a light and charming fragrance. Berber women show how to make these rose products in traditional ways in front of the stalls. It is a very unique souvenir as a gift to relatives and friends.

What to Experience

Immerse Into the Festive Atmosphere

Walking through the streets of Kelaat M'gouna, you will be fascinated by the cheerful rhythm of traditional songs and dances. Berbers dressed in gorgeous national costumes, dancing in circles, drums shaking the sky, and melodious traditional instruments playing ancient melodies. Additionally, the dancers hold long swords and draw sharp arcs in the air, showing the perfect combination of strength and skills.

The climax of the festival is the grand parade of floats, usually on the last day. Floats decorated with pink roses slowly pass by on the street, and the Rose Queen wears a wreath and waves to people with a smile. The air is filled with the fragrance of flowers, making you intoxicated in this dreamy celebration.

Feel the Birth of Fragrance

Go to the local rose distillery, you'll witness how the pink petals slowly release their fragrance in the high-temperature distillation and turn into drops of precious rose essence. Steam rises and the air is full of sweet floral fragrance, making you feel like you are at a feast for the sense of smell.

In addition to the rose distillery, you can also visit the local brewery or handmade perfume workshop to learn how the Berbers use the gifts of nature to create kinds of amazing fragrance products. If you are a fragrance lover, it will definitely be your place of inspiration!

Pick Roses to Enjoy the Harvest

If all the roses have not been picked during the festival, you will have the opportunity to walk into the rose fields and experience a real rose harvest. The morning sun shines on the sea of flowers, and the air is fresh and moist. Learning from the locals to gently pick the delicate flowers, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that your hands become extra smooth under the infiltration of the rose fragrance. It is a gentle gift from the earth, making your journey full of poetry and memories.

Strolling in the Rose Fields to Embrace Pink World

Strolling along the field path, you can occasionally find residual flowers on the roadside or in the field. What's more, the date trees, orange trees, and fig trees along the way still add natural beauty to this land, making the walk a different sensory enjoyment. Stop and make a natural sachet with rose petals, or weave a rose wreath. When the sun sets, find a quiet corner to sit down and quietly appreciate the softness and poetry of this land. The romance of Rose Valley will become the most gentle memory of your journey.

Treasure Hunt in the Rose Market

Rose Market in Morocco

The rose water in Kelaat M'Gouna is of excellent quality, and rose products are one of the most distinctive souvenirs in Morocco. In the open-air market or the local rose distillery, you can buy pure rose water, rose essential oil, rose soap, skin care cream, dried flowers and other rose products. Hearing the enthusiastic calls of Berber vendors, local women in colorful traditional costumes patiently mix spices and sell homemade natural skin care products. If you are willing to stop and talk with them, you can learn how to use rose water for beauty care or make a cup of sweet rose tea with dried rose petals.

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Useful Tips

Dress Colorfully Like Locals

Locals like to wear colorful clothes to celebrate the Rose Festival. You can choose bright colors such as pink, red, and gold, or buy Moroccan scarves and headscarves in the market to integrate into the festival atmosphere!

Stay in Ouarzazate or Surrounding Areas

You can stay in Ouarzazate (about 50 miles / 85 kilometers), where there are abundant accommodation options and convenient travel. If you want to experience the festival atmosphere more immersively, you can also stay in Kelaat M'Gouna and the surrounding areas of the Rose Valley to feel the rose fragrance in the morning.

Explore the Surroundings: Desert Starry Sky Tour

Kelaat M'Gouna is not far from the Sahara Desert. In addition to feeling the fragrance of roses, you can also go to the desert, admire the brilliant Milky Way, experience the nomadic life of the Berbers, and spend a dreamy night.

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Celebrate Morocco's Rose Festival With Odynovo

Odynovo will carefully customize your journey so that you are not just a tourist, but also a part of the festival. In addition, your journey will not only stop at the Rose Valley. We will take you to explore the mysterious beauty of Morocco, feel the vastness of the Sahara, the passion of Marrakech and the ancient charm of Fez. Contact us or write to [email protected], you'll start your exclusive Moroccan rose dream!