What's actually on at MOGA's 10th edition?
MOGA Festival turns 10 this year, running September 30 to October 4 in the walled Atlantic port city of Essaouira. The festival splits into two halves. "MOGA OFF" is free and runs September 30-October 1 across 18 venues and 32 local hotspots around the medina, with 51 events and 30 side activities including Gnaoua performances, vinyl workshops, yoga and sound healing sessions, plus surfing on the town's famously windy beach. "MOGA IN," the ticketed program, takes over the Hôtel Le Golf d'Essaouira & Spa from October 2-4, headlined by Jamie Jones on Friday, The Martinez Brothers on Saturday and ANOTR closing the festival on Sunday. A three-day pass runs 2,000 dirhams (about $207); single Friday or Sunday tickets are 900 dirhams (about $93).
Why is the Moroccan lineup the real headline?
Here's the part that matters more than the booking poster: nearly 70% of the roughly 100 artists playing MOGA IN this year are Moroccan, according to Moroccan outlet Biladi. That's not a festival renting a beautiful North African backdrop for a European lineup and calling it a wrap. It's a festival where the local scene is the majority of the program, not the garnish around three imported headliners.
MOGA is backing that ratio with infrastructure. The 2026 edition launches MOGA PRO, a new professionalization arm built with Association 4S and the British Council, running as MOGA Academy: one track in cultural project management and production, another in DJ and producer training. That's a festival investing in who plays its stage in five years, not just who sells tickets this week.
Who's headlining, and what does it cost to get in?
The three MOGA IN headliners represent three different corners of house's current mainstream: Jamie Jones brings the tech-house sound of his Hot Creations label, The Martinez Brothers carry the Cuban-American, New York deep-house lineage, and ANOTR close the festival off the back of a rapid ascent through Europe's biggest rooms. All three play the Hôtel Le Golf grounds across three nights, alongside a lineup where the majority of names are Moroccan artists most of the international house crowd hasn't heard yet, which is arguably the more interesting ticket.
