New Year's Eve in Marrakech: Riads, Rooftops and Gala Dinners

Marrakech is the busiest place in the country on 31 December, and the one where planning matters most. The city has no single public celebration: the evening is split between dozens of riads, hotels, restaurants and clubs, each running its own night.

That makes one decision unusually important. The area you sleep in decides the kind of New Year you get.

Choose your neighbourhood first

• The medina suits travellers who want atmosphere: a riad courtyard, a set dinner, music, and a short walk home. Streets are narrow and cars cannot reach most riads.

• Gueliz is the modern centre: restaurants, bars and a short taxi ride to everything. The practical choice if you want to move around during the evening.

• Hivernage concentrates the large hotels and the clubs. The choice for a late night out.

• The Palmeraie works for groups renting a villa with their own party, but you will depend on taxis or a driver all evening.

Our guide to where to stay in Morocco explains the differences between riads, hotels and villas in more detail.

Riad gala dinners: what they actually are

Most riads serving guests on 31 December run a set menu, often with music, sometimes with a fixed seating time. The arrangements vary far more than people expect:

• in some riads the dinner is included for guests staying that night;

• in others it is a compulsory supplement added to the room rate;

• many also sell seats to outside guests who are not staying there.

So the headline room price for 31 December rarely tells the whole story. Before paying, ask three questions: is dinner included, is it obligatory, and can I book a seat without staying here. A riad that answers clearly is usually a riad that organises the evening well.

Rooftops, restaurants and clubs

Gueliz and Hivernage hold most of the restaurants and venues that stay open late, several with rooftop terraces. Remember that alcohol is served only in licensed venues: hotels, licensed restaurants, bars and clubs. If that matters to your evening, confirm it when you reserve rather than assuming.

Tables on 31 December are almost always by reservation, with a set menu and a fixed price. Walking in on the night rarely works.

Jemaa el-Fna at midnight

The main square fills with people around midnight, families included, with drummers and the usual performers. It is lively, informal and free.

What it is not is an organised event. There is no official countdown, no programme and no guaranteed fireworks: accounts differ from year to year. Treat the square as a place to be among people at midnight, not as a show that will start on time. As always in a dense crowd, keep your phone and wallet where you can feel them.

Getting back afterwards

This is where New Year's Eve in Marrakech goes wrong for most visitors. Taxis are scarce and expensive after midnight, and drivers are not obliged to use the meter at that hour.

Three things to settle before you go out:

• agree the fare before getting in, as you would at any other time;

• if you are staying inside the medina, know which gate your riad is nearest — cars stop there, not at the door;

• if you arrive that same day, read our guide on getting from the airport to the medina: the last stretch on foot is the part people forget.

Weather and what to wear

Late December afternoons in Marrakech are mild, around 19°C, and nights are cold, close to 6°C. Riads are built around open courtyards and were designed for summer heat, so heating is not a given: check that your room has it, and that the dinner is not served outdoors without heaters.

Dress warmly for the evening, and modestly enough to move between a gala dinner and the medina without feeling out of place. For how this season compares with the rest of the year, see the best time to visit Morocco.

A desert dinner instead

The Agafay desert is about an hour from the city, and several camps run New Year's Eve dinners with music under the stars. It is stony desert, not dunes, and the nights are cold: ask what heating the tent has before booking.

The real dunes are much further: our guide to reaching the Sahara from Marrakech explains why that trip needs two to three days, not one evening.

1 January in Marrakech

1 January is a public holiday in Morocco. Banks and public offices close, and some sites keep holiday hours, but the souks, cafés and most restaurants open normally. Expect a slow morning: much of the city went to bed late.

If you have a train or a tour booked for the morning of 1 January, confirm the time the day before.

When to book

Rooms for 31 December in Marrakech sell out months in advance, and the riads people recommend go first. Book the room and the dinner together, check whether the rate is refundable, and confirm heating. Those three checks matter more than the price itself.