In Rabat, Fado Festival Morocco brings Lisbon to the Mohammed V Theatre

Fado Festival Morocco Rabat will take over the Mohammed V National Theatre on 10 and 11 September 2026, offering two evenings that dive into music, heritage and the atmosphere of Lisbon.

A travelling festival stops in Rabat

The festival, dedicated to fado and Portuguese culture, is a travelling event that now tours several continents and is once again making a stop in Morocco. For this edition, it will be held in 21 major cities across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia, underlining its growing global reach.

In Rabat, the 9th edition is built around the theme “Fado and the neighbourhoods of Lisbon”. Staged in the heart of the capital, Fado Festival Morocco Rabat offers residents, visitors and Moroccans returning home a rare opportunity to experience leading voices of the contemporary fado scene live.

For Moroccans living abroad who plan to be in Rabat in early September, these dates can easily fit into a holiday or family trip, as a cultural stop between administrative errands or visits to relatives.

Lisbon’s neighbourhoods set to music

The festival highlights several emblematic Lisbon districts where fado was born and took shape: Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto and Madragoa. Deeply rooted in the popular memory of the Portuguese capital, these areas played a central role in the emergence and transmission of this urban musical tradition, now a strong symbol of Portugal.

Between steep alleyways, local bars and traditional fado houses, these neighbourhoods created a soundscape of nostalgia, poetry and everyday stories. The Rabat programme aims to bring that connection between place, people and music to the Moroccan stage.

Fado Festival Morocco Rabat: talks, concerts and a screening

The programme in Rabat combines a talk, concerts and a screening, with artists from different generations of the Portuguese scene, including:

• singer and songwriter Teresinha Landeiro;
• singer, lyricist and producer Rodrigo Costa Félix;
• singer Ana Margarida Prado.

On Thursday 10 September, the evening will open at 6:30 p.m. with a talk by Rodrigo Costa Félix on the relationship between fado and Lisbon’s neighbourhoods. He will look back at the places, social practices and popular memories that shaped this musical tradition.

At 8 p.m., Mohammed V Theatre will host the concert by Teresinha Landeiro, one of the key voices in a new generation of fadistas who are renewing the genre while staying faithful to its roots. She has released the albums Namoro (2018), Agora (2021) and Para dançar e para chorar (2024).

The following day, the festival continues with more performances that blend voices, guitars and stories from Lisbon, extending this cultural dialogue between Morocco and Portugal.

A meeting point for cultural ties

Beyond music, Fado Festival Morocco Rabat reflects the growing cultural exchange between both sides of the Mediterranean. For Moroccans with links to Portugal through work, study or residence, this type of event can give extra meaning to a stay in Morocco during the late summer period.

For those organising a trip home around cultural experiences, having this festival on Rabat’s September agenda is an additional reason to plan a stop in the capital, alongside exhibitions, theatre and other concerts.

Detailed information on the full programme, ticketing and schedules should be checked directly with the organisers and Mohammed V National Theatre, pending any further official confirmations from institutional partners.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.

For official updates, readers can check the relevant official source.