By late evening the tables around Place el-Hedim are full, waiters are moving between them, and the lit facades of the old imperial buildings close off one side of the square. Away from the square the streets thin out quickly, and the city settles into something quieter than the large Moroccan tourist centres.
Meknes is not a city that goes out late in the way Casablanca or Marrakesh do. Its nightlife is modest and local: a handful of bars, mostly in the newer part of town, and the evening life of the medina and the square, which is about eating, walking and sitting out rather than drinking. It suits visitors who want an unhurried evening, who are happy to make the square the centre of the night, and who do not need a long list of venues to choose from.
Where to go out in Meknes
1. Place el-Hedim and the medina edge
The square in front of the old kasbah is the natural focus of an evening. Its name comes from the rubble piled here during the construction of the imperial palace-city, and today it is an open space lined with places to eat and drink, busy with families and groups of friends after dark. This is the easiest night out in Meknes and the one that requires the least planning.
It suits an early, unhurried evening: dinner, a walk, and a slow circuit of the square. It is also the most practical base for a visitor staying in or near the medina, since you can eat and then return on foot.
2. Avenue Allal Ben Abdellah
This avenue in the newer part of the city is where you find Le Pub, one of the few places in Meknes where women will feel comfortable finding a drink. It is a lively pub over two floors, with the music and the scene on the ground floor, and it serves local wines such as Guerrouane and Amazir. Beer is available by the bottle and cocktails are on the menu.
This suits a visitor who wants a proper bar rather than a meal with drinks, and who is willing to go to the new city rather than stay in the medina. Note that the source describes bottle beers only here, so do not expect draught.
3. Rue de Paris and the top of the street
At the top of Rue de Paris is Novelty, a renovated pub with wood decor, which the source notes is rumoured to be owned by Italians. It is described as the only place in Meknes to drink draught beer, and wine is served by the bottle only.
This is the option for a visitor who specifically wants draught beer, or who prefers a quieter, more furnished room than the busier pub on Avenue Allal Ben Abdellah. Both venues are in the newer city, so a night here pairs naturally with a meal away from the medina.
4. The bar scene as a whole
Meknes is described as having more bars than people, but only a few of them are suitable for the average traveller. That is worth knowing before you set out: the quantity of bars does not translate into a wide choice for a visitor, and the two named above are the ones the source singles out as appropriate.
Treat the evening as a choice between a small number of known options rather than a district to wander and discover. If you want variety, plan around the square and one bar rather than trying to string several together.
5. The public swimming pool between the medina and the new city
This is a daytime rather than a night-time option, but it is worth knowing about in warm weather: there is a very popular public swimming pool between the medina and the new city, described as a godsend on a hot day. A late afternoon swim before an evening on the square is a reasonable way to structure a summer day.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not describe a detailed evening timetable for Meknes, so plan around what is stated rather than around assumptions. The two named bars are open daily until midnight, which sets a clear outer limit on a night out: this is not a city where the evening runs deep into the small hours. Eating on and around Place el-Hedim is the natural start, and the square remains the centre of activity through the evening. Because the bars are in the new city and the square is by the medina, you will generally move between two parts of town rather than staying in one, so decide early whether you are eating first and drinking after, or the reverse.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Unity Day — 31 October
- Anniversary of the Green March — 6 November
- Independence Day — 18 November
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Anniversary of the Independence Manifesto — 11 January
- Amazigh New Year — 14 January
- Ramadan — begins in February (date given as tentative)
- Eid al-Fitr — March (date given as tentative), with a holiday the following day
- Labour Day / May Day — 1 May
- Eid al-Adha — May (date given as tentative), with a holiday the following day
Frequently asked questions
Is there much nightlife in Meknes?
There is a bar scene, and the source notes that Meknes has more bars than people, but only a few are suitable for the average traveller. The realistic evening is dinner and time on Place el-Hedim, plus one of the named bars if you want a drink.
Where can I drink in Meknes?
Two places are named: Le Pub on Avenue Allal Ben Abdellah, and Novelty at the top of Rue de Paris. Le Pub is described as one of the only places in Meknes where women will feel comfortable finding a drink, and Novelty as the only place in the city for draught beer.
How late do bars stay open?
Both named venues are open daily until midnight. The sources give no later closing times, so treat midnight as the end of the evening rather than the start of one.
Can I go out in the medina at night?
The medina edge and Place el-Hedim are where the evening activity concentrates, with places to eat and drink around the square. The named bars, however, are in the newer part of the city, so a night that includes drinking will involve a move away from the medina.
Decide before you go whether your evening is the square or the bars, check the current state of any venue before you set out, and plan your route between the medina and the new city in advance.