Morocco
Marrakech in May
☀️ Warm dry seasonWarm and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: sunglasses & hat
Why May scores 9.6What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.7
- ✓Warm (29°C highs / 15°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 8°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~11 mm rain)
- Air quality10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~5 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| May | Mar | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.6 Excellent | 9.5 Excellent |
| Season | ☀️ Warm dry season | ☀️ Warm dry season |
| High / low | 29° / 15° | 24° / 10° |
| Rain | 11 mm | 35 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 8° | dew pt 4° |
| PM2.5 | 5 µg/m³ | 6 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Marrakech weather-station normals. Rainfall: Marrakech weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Eid al-Adha 15–17 May · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Labor Day (1 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore MarrakechEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyMorocco's former imperial capital, known for its walled medina, busy souks, palaces and gardens, and as a base for trips to the Atlas Mountains.
No major events on our calendar for May.
Coming up later
Marrakech International Film FestivalDate variesUsually late November to early December
An international film festival with competition screenings and public open-air shows.
Why go: Free screenings are sometimes held on Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Where: Palais des Congrès and Jemaa el-Fnaa
Marrakech MarathonDate variesUsually late January
An international marathon and half marathon on a flat course around the city.
Why go: Roads close on race morning and hotels fill up that weekend.
Where: City streets and palm grove
Ramadan and Eid al-FitrDate variesIslamic lunar calendar — moves about 11 days earlier each year; around February to March in 2026–2027
The month of daytime fasting, with lively evenings after sunset and celebrations at Eid.
Why go: Some cafes close by day and opening hours shorten, but evenings in the medina are especially busy.
Where: Citywide
Jemaa el-Fnaa
The main square of the medina, filling with food stalls, musicians and storytellers from late afternoon.
💡 Agree a price before photographing performers or animal handlers.
Jardin Majorelle
A cobalt-blue painted garden of cacti and palms once owned by Yves Saint Laurent, next to the YSL Museum.
💡 Go at opening time to avoid the longest queues.
Bahia Palace
A 19th-century palace with carved cedar ceilings, zellige tilework and courtyards.
Koutoubia Mosque
The city's largest mosque, whose 12th-century minaret is a landmark visible across the medina.
💡 Non-Muslims cannot enter, but the gardens around it are open.
Ben Youssef Madrasa
A former Quranic school with an intricately decorated central courtyard.
Medina souks
A maze of covered market lanes organised by trade, from leather and metalwork to spices.
💡 Bargaining is expected; offline maps help in the lanes.
Tanjia
Marrakech's signature dish of beef or lamb slow-cooked in a clay urn in the embers of a hammam furnace.
💡 Small grill stalls in the medina and around Jemaa el-Fnaa
Tagine
Slow-cooked stew of meat or vegetables with spices, olives, preserved lemon or dried fruit.
Couscous
Steamed semolina with vegetables and meat, traditionally eaten on Fridays.
Harira
A tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, especially popular for breaking the fast in Ramadan.
Mint tea
Sweet green tea with fresh mint, poured from height and offered as a sign of hospitality.
Argan oil
Oil from the argan tree of southwestern Morocco, used for cosmetics and cooking.
💡 Cooperatives and herbalist shops
Leather babouches
Traditional pointed leather slippers in many colours.
💡 Medina souks
Berber rugs
Hand-woven wool rugs made by Amazigh communities.
💡 Rug shops in the medina
Spices
Ras el hanout, saffron and cumin sold loose by weight.
💡 Spice stalls around Rahba Kedima square