Landmark · Kasbah
Place Moulay Hassan
Place Moulay Hassan is the pedestrian square between Essaouira’s medina and its port, free and open at any hour. Terraces line it, and the Skala du Port is 250 m away on foot. In late June it holds the Gnaoua Festival’s main stage: the 2026 edition opened on 25 June, and the next runs 24 to 26 June 2027.
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What is on the square
Place Moulay Hassan is a paved, lit pedestrian square. It is the hinge between the medina and the port. The clock-tower gate is 260 m and 3 minutes’ walk away, Bab Sbaa 380 m and 5 minutes, by our route calculation. It began as a mechouar, the parade ground where dignitaries were received, and under the Protectorate it was Place du Chayla.
Three buildings open onto it: Jama’ el Atiq, Essaouira’s oldest mosque, the former courthouse and Dar el A’chaar. Terraces take up the rest of the edge. Taros, a restaurant and lounge with terraces, gives its address on the square and lists 11:00 to 01:00 every day, until 02:30 in summer (its own site, read 17 October 2026). The other terraces publish no site or hours that we could find.
Our view: treat the square as a crossroads, not a sight. A quarter of an hour covers it. The cannon on the Skala du Port are 250 m away on foot, and the fishing harbour starts just behind. The other way, the medina’s lanes lead off the square.
The Gnaoua Festival stage
In late June the square changes job. It holds the Moulay Hassan stage, one of the Gnaoua Festival’s three evening stages alongside the beach and Borj Bab Marrakech. The 27th edition ran from 25 to 27 June 2026. The Maâlems’ parade carried on into the opening concert here, led by Mehdi Nassouli. The 28th edition is announced for 24 to 26 June 2027.
In 2026 the stage opened at 20:00, 20:30 on the Thursday, and its last concert started between 00:15 and 00:45 depending on the night. On access, the festival’s own documents disagree. The official ticket office still shows the 2026 grid: 400 MAD on Thursday, 600 MAD on Friday and Saturday, 1,200 MAD for all three nights (read 17 October 2026). The 2026 programme marks ticketed access only for Borj Bab Marrakech and the traditional concerts at 23:00. The 2024 press kit presents the festival as free. Festival dates and the other stages are tracked in our listings.
Our view: check the ticket office before you come, and if you want to see the stage, get there before the first act. Work out on arrival which street you will leave by after the last act.
When to go, and what may change
Outside the festival there is nothing to book and nothing to pay. We like late afternoon, coming down off the ramparts, to finish the loop with a coffee. The rest of the walled town’s landmarks fit into the same half-day, and the harbour fish grills are the natural next stop for dinner.
The square is not set in stone. In 2023 UNESCO listed the redesign of Place Moulay Hassan and of a car park near the port among the works completed in the medina. In September 2025 the press announced work to protect the sea wall, with a platform beside the square. We found no official notice of that work or its timetable as of 17 October 2026.
Two name traps. Place Hassan Ier, where the town council sits, is a different square near Bab Doukkala. One collaborative online map also gives the square an Arabic name, “درب عبدالله بن ياسين” (Derb Abdallah Ben Yassine). It is not a translation of the French name, and a derb is a lane: do not rely on it to find the square. There is a taxi rank 300 m and 4 minutes’ walk away, on the Orson Welles garden side.
See on the map
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Frequently asked questions
Where is Place Moulay Hassan in Essaouira?
Where the medina meets the port, 250 m and 3 minutes’ walk from the Skala du Port. Its coordinates are 31.5117 N, 9.7724 W.
Are the Gnaoua Festival concerts on Place Moulay Hassan free?
The festival’s own documents disagree. The official ticket office shows this stage’s 2026 grid, 400 to 600 MAD an evening and 1,200 MAD for all three nights (read 17 October 2026), while the 2024 press kit calls the festival free.
What was Place Moulay Hassan called before independence?
Place du Chayla, under the French Protectorate. It began as a mechouar, the ground where dignitaries were received.
Where can I park near Place Moulay Hassan?
The square itself is pedestrian. In 2023 UNESCO mentioned a car park built near the port, and there is a paid surface car park 130 m south of the square in a straight line. We found no published price.
Which cafés or terraces are on Place Moulay Hassan?
Taros, a restaurant and lounge with terraces, gives its address on the square and lists 11:00 to 01:00 every day, until 02:30 in summer (its own site, read 17 October 2026). The other terraces publish no site or hours that we could find.
Is Place Moulay Hassan the same as Place Hassan Ier?
No. Place Hassan Ier, home to the town council, is near Bab Doukkala, at the other end of the medina.