By evening the wind that runs along Agadir's beach has usually dropped, and the promenade fills with people walking, families with children still out, and surfers drifting back from the breaks north of town. Along avenue Hassan II the big cafés light up and stay busy, while the tourist zones begin to fill with visitors and with locals who come there to meet them.
Agadir is a resort town rather than a late-night city, and its nightlife is shaped by that: it is prepared for European tourists, so alcohol is available in the tourist places and night clubs are found in the tourist zones. That makes it an easy place to go out if you want a drink, a long café sitting or a beachside evening without much planning, and a quiet one if you are looking for a dense, varied club scene.
Where to go out in Agadir
1. The tourist zones
These are the areas where the city's night clubs are concentrated, and where you will find more tourists alongside the locals who come out looking for them. If a late night with music and alcohol is what you want, this is where to head.
Practical point: alcohol is found in all the tourist places, so you do not need to search far once you are in these zones.
2. Avenue Hassan II cafés
The large cafés along avenue Hassan II are the city's evening ritual: a big, comfortable place to sit, talk and drink something as the night comes on. Venues named in the sources include La Fontaine, La Veranda and Le Dome, though you should treat any listing as a starting point rather than a guarantee.
This suits an unhurried evening, a conversation, or a first stop before deciding whether to go on somewhere else.
3. The beach and promenade
The beach is the main attraction in Agadir and it is very big and not very crowded, which makes an evening walk along the sand or the seafront a reasonable way to start or end a night. Be aware that the beach is very windy at times, at least in February.
This suits anyone who wants the evening to be about the sea and the air rather than about venues.
4. Souk El Had
The souk is open Tuesday to Sunday and holds a very large number of stalls, selling everything from tourist souvenirs and clothes to leather goods, household items, fruit and vegetables. It is a daytime and early-evening kind of outing rather than a night out.
Practical point: if you enter by the main gates as a tourist you may be approached by someone offering to guide you, which generally means being taken to his friends' stalls; entering through one of the lower-numbered gates, where Moroccans go, lets you explore on your own. Haggle hard, but note that some stores advertise fixed prices, and it is worth looking at those first to get a sense of the right price. Ask before photographing stallholders.
5. Surf beaches north of the city
The surf scene around Agadir runs through Imesouane, Devils Rock at the town of Tamragh with the neighbouring towns of Aourir and Taghazout, and breaks such as Anchor Point and Cro-Cro. There are many surf schools, surf camps and surf shops in the area.
This suits an active day that rolls into a low-key evening in the surf towns rather than a night in the city. The best surf season runs from November to March, though beginners can surf every day all year long.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe the evening café sitting on avenue Hassan II as a real ritual for many Agadir citizens, which tells you that the early part of the night belongs to cafés rather than to clubs. Beyond that, the sources do not give set dinner times, opening hours or how late venues run, so it is best to treat the evening as flexible: cafés first, then the tourist zones if you want music and a later finish, and the beach whenever you want it.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Amazigh New Year (Yennayer) — mid-January
- Ramadan — begins in February in the year covered by the sources; note that dates are tentative and that this is a month of fasting rather than a festival
- Eid al-Fitr — March, with a holiday the following day; dates tentative
- Eid al-Adha — May, with a holiday the following day; dates tentative
- Independence Day — 18 November
- Anniversary of the Green March — 6 November
- Anniversary of the Independence Manifesto — 11 January
- Unity Day — 31 October
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Labour Day / May Day — 1 May
Agadir is also a place for festivals connected to Berber culture, including Yennayer and Bujlood, and it is known as a centre of Shilha music.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink alcohol in Agadir?
Yes. Alcohol is found in all the tourist places, and it can also be bought at the Uniprix and Atacadao supermarkets. The sources do not state a legal drinking age or any other local rule, so check locally if this matters to you.
Where are the night clubs?
In the tourist zones, where you will find more tourists alongside the locals who go there looking for them.
What is there to do in the evening if you do not want a club?
Sit in one of the large cafés on avenue Hassan II, which the sources describe as a genuine evening ritual for many people in the city, or walk the beach, which is very big and rarely crowded.
When is the souk open?
Tuesday to Sunday. It is a market rather than a night-time destination, so plan it for the daytime or early evening.
Decide whether your evening is a café on avenue Hassan II, a walk on the beach or a later night in the tourist zones, and plan around that.