The valley floor between Kelaat M'Gouna and Boumalne Dades grows damask roses for rose water and oil. When the harvest peaks the town holds a moussem: floats, Ait Atta dancing, a rose queen, and souks selling the season's distillate. It sits directly on the Marrakech-to-Sahara road, so a desert tour timed right passes through the harvest.
The festival follows the rose harvest, so the organisers confirm dates only a few weeks ahead. It has fallen in the first two weeks of May every recent year — the 2026 edition ran 7–10 May.
Book around 20 weeks ahead — accommodation near these events fills early.
Why this date is worth it
- Damask rose harvest at its peak across the Dades valley floor
- A moussem with floats, Ait Atta dancing and the crowning of a rose queen
- Souks selling the season's rose water and oil, distilled locally
- Kelaat M'Gouna sits directly on the Marrakech-to-Sahara road, so a desert tour timed right passes straight through it
What to know before you plan around it
- Dates are confirmed only a few weeks ahead because they follow the harvest, so a trip built around them carries real date risk.
- The town is small and fills completely for the moussem; most visitors stay in Boumalne Dades or pass through on a desert itinerary.
- The roses are a working crop. Harvest starts before dawn and the fields are picked out by mid-morning.
