Temsia · Agadir
Milk and dates on arrival, couscous under a caïdal tent, then a fantasia charge and a projected story in the arena.
The riders fire their volley together; the closer to one crack, the better the charge.
The short verdict
Yes, if you want one long, sociable evening that puts Moroccan food, music and horsemanship into a single ticket, and you don't mind a staged show in place of a festival. A shuttle collects you in Agadir or Taghazout. There is a welcome with milk and dates, a long dinner under tents while musicians move between the tables, then a show in the arena where fantasia riders charge and fire. Allow about four hours door to door, and budget for drinks, which are extra.
Mostly the table. The ride out, the welcome and a long dinner take up most of the evening, with Gnawa players and other troupes coming to you between courses. The arena show comes last and moves briskly from act to act, so some visitors find it short. Judge the night as a whole, not as a horse show.
Not a tbourida festival with troupe after troupe on a long track, and not a play with English narration: the story in the arena is told with projection mapping, music and light, plus words on the back wall. Not quiet either. The riders fire blank rifles together, close to the stands.
Families with older children, groups, couples who like to join in, and anyone short of time who wants music, food and horses in one evening. Less suited to people who startle at gunfire, small children who hate loud bangs, reluctant dancers, and anyone hoping for a long, varied stage show.
Read this first
You can enjoy the night with all four in mind. Ignore them and you risk joining the visitors who leave disappointed, so read them now rather than on the night.
Each fantasia charge ends in a volley of blank rifle fire, close to the audience and very loud. That volley is the point of the tradition, but it can frighten small children, noise-sensitive guests and anyone who startles at gunfire. Ear defenders for young children are a sensible idea.
The arena show follows a storyteller on a quest through Morocco, told with projection mapping, music and light. Do not count on a spoken English commentary. Words appear on the arena's back wall during the show, so choose a seat with a clear view of it.
The evening lasts about four hours including the return shuttle. Most of that is the welcome and a long dinner with music at the tables; the arena show comes last and moves quickly from act to act, and some visitors wish it ran longer.
Dinner is served mainly in the open air under tents. Covered areas are used in the cooler months, and a light jacket is recommended for winter evenings. One recent visitor sat through rain during the show; the performers carried on to the end.
The night at a glance
Door to door
The evening in six steps, in the order it runs. Your confirmation gives the pickup point and time.
An air-conditioned vehicle collects you for the drive to Temsia, south-east of Agadir. In the busy summer months, traffic can make pickups run late, so keep your phone to hand.
You are welcomed in the Moroccan way, with milk and dates, to drums and folk songs. Before you sit down there is Tafarnout bread from a wood fire, with amlou, honey and olive oil.
Dinner is served under large traditional tents, mostly in the open air, and ends with mint tea and pastries. A vegetarian menu exists, but you choose it when you book. Drinks are ordered and paid for on site.
Gnawa musicians, Dekka Marrakchia players and other troupes come to the tables between courses. You may be invited up to dance; saying no is fine.
After dinner everyone moves to the arena for the show, titled Les 7 Trésors du Maroc. A storyteller character leads a projected journey through Morocco, and the acts appear as stages of it: fantasia riders, a belly dancer, acrobats and fire-eaters.
The shuttle drives you back once the show ends. If you came by car, there is free parking on site; tell the organiser in advance that you will not need the shuttle.
What the night draws on
The evening borrows from Moroccan traditions far older than any show. Here is what each one is, drawn from UNESCO and Wikipedia, so you know what you are watching, hearing and eating.
Tbourida is Morocco's name for the fantasia, an equestrian tradition UNESCO traces to the sixteenth century and inscribed in 2021. Riders line up with their leader in the middle, gallop together and fire blanks. The aim is a volley so tight that only one shot is heard.
Gnawa music grew from the songs and rituals of West Africans brought to Morocco, and joined UNESCO's list in 2019. Listen for the heavy iron castanets, the qraqeb, and the guembri, a three-string lute with a deep, buzzing bass.
The rwayess are Shilha musicians led by a raiss who sings poetry in Tachelhit. A performance opens with the rebab or the lutar setting the melody, then moves through verse and dance to a fast ending that stops dead. Agadir, known as the capital of Amazigh culture, is home ground.
A percussion tradition from Marrakech, named from the Arabic for striking. A circle of players sings over small clay drums, a frame drum and metal cymbals, speeding from a slow rhythm to a fast one. Marrakech plays it at Ashura, and Taroudant in the Souss has its own form.
Ahwach is the collective dance of the Shilha villages of the High Atlas and the Souss: two lines, often men facing women, trading song, poetry and frame-drum rhythms. A full troupe can run to dozens of people, so any version staged for visitors is a small slice of it.
Tafarnout is the bread of the Souss, baked in a clay oven of the same name and eaten with argan oil, amlou and olive oil. Amlou itself is toasted almonds crushed and kneaded with honey and argan oil, from the tree that has become the symbol of the region.
Background, not a running order: the venue decides which troupes and acts perform each night.
Tbourida in brief
Five things that make the charge easier to read when the riders line up.
Night or day
The ticket, item by item
Nine lines to read before you pick a night.
The Souss in pictures
Riders firing at night, Gnawa musicians by a fire, an ahwach band on parade, amlou made by hand, and Agadir's bay and kasbah walls.
Plan your Agadir days and nights
The fantasia evening comes first. After it: a morning in the kasbah, the souk and the marina, an afternoon on quad bikes in the dunes, and the cable car up to the kasbah after dark.
About four hours with the return shuttle from Agadir or Taghazout: a welcome with milk and dates, dinner under tents with music at the tables, then horsemen, acrobats and fire-eaters in the arena. Drinks are extra.
Three to four hours by van, with pickup: views from the walls of Agadir Oufella, the Souk El Had, the Mohammed V Mosque and the marina, plus a stop at an argan products shop. Kasbah entry and food are not included.
Four hours with transfers from Agadir or Taghazout: a safety briefing, a ride through dunes, hills and Berber villages near the coast, and a mint-tea stop. No licence needed; under-16s ride as passengers.
A round-trip ticket from the base station by the Tildi bridge up to the hilltop kasbah, with the bay and the city lights below. Bring a jacket; getting to the station is up to you.
More to book around Agadir
Getting there and timing
Return transport from Agadir and Taghazout is part of the ticket, in an air-conditioned vehicle. Your confirmation gives the pickup point and time. In the summer months Agadir's traffic can delay pickups, so be ready early and keep your phone on.
The shuttle is optional. If you drive, there is free private parking at the venue; tell the organiser in advance so the driver does not wait for you. The location is on your booking.
It is an evening event, and the nights on sale are in the booking calendar. Allow about four hours between pickup and drop-off, and avoid the night before an early flight or a dawn excursion.
Something comfortable for sitting outdoors, plus a light jacket in winter. Covered areas are used in the cooler months. Flat shoes are wise if you mean to dance.
Babies under two go free if they sit on a lap. The rifle volleys are loud, so pack ear defenders for young children and talk them through the charge before it happens.
Anyone who hates loud bangs, wants a quiet dinner, expects a long theatre show with spoken English, or would rather not be pulled up to dance. For Agadir without the noise, try the kasbah and souk tour or the cable car at dusk.
Further reading
FAQ
For most visitors, yes, as long as you book it as a whole evening rather than a horse show. About four hours with transfers buy you a Moroccan welcome, a long dinner with musicians at the tables, and an arena show with fantasia riders, acrobats and fire-eaters. Drinks are extra.
Very. The riders fire blank rifles together at the end of each charge, close to the audience. It is the high point of the tradition, but it can upset small children, noise-sensitive guests and anyone startled by gunfire.
Do not count on it. The story is carried by projection mapping, music and light, with words shown on the arena's back wall. Pick a seat with a clear view of that wall.
About four hours, including a return shuttle from Agadir or Taghazout in an air-conditioned vehicle. Summer traffic can make pickups run late. If you drive, there is free parking; tell the organiser beforehand.
Drinks are not included; you buy them on site. Dinner is a set Moroccan meal with mint tea and pastries, and a vegetarian menu is available if you choose it when booking.
Dinner is mainly in the open air under tents, with covered areas in the cooler months. Bring a light jacket for winter evenings.
Yes. Babies under two go free if they do not need their own seat. Think about the rifle volleys before bringing small children, and pack ear defenders if they are sensitive to noise.
Cancel at least 24 hours before and you get a full refund, for bookings made through GetYourGuide. Reserving now and paying later is also possible.
No. This is an independent guide written for visitors: it does not belong to the venue, the show or any performer, and has no tie to any of them. You book with GetYourGuide, which takes the payment and handles any changes.
Pick a night in the calendar to see what it costs in your currency, before any payment is taken.