Choosing your night
Marrakech dinner show or desert evening
A city restaurant show and an Agafay desert dinner are two different nights. Compare the setting, transport, dress and what each ticket covers.
Reserve your night at Nouba ↗Two very different nights
Both evenings are sold as a dinner show in Marrakech, and that is where the similarity ends. Nouba is a restaurant on Boulevard Mohamed VI, in the Agdal district, where singers, aerial acrobats and dancers perform during dinner. The Agafay desert evening takes you out of the city for a sunset, a Moroccan dinner, live music and a fire show around a camp. One is a dressed-up night out in town. The other is an excursion with a dinner at its centre.
The Nouba evening
Nouba sells two services. One has a Moroccan and oriental show with a Moroccan menu; the other has an international show with a fusion Asian menu. The dress code is chic, with no shorts and, for men, no open shoes. Drinks, transport and tips are separate. The ticket is listed as wheelchair accessible, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before. You arrange your own taxi, which suits anyone who likes control of their night.
The desert evening
The Agafay evening includes pickup and drop-off from your accommodation in Marrakech, air-conditioned transport and a guide, then a sunset, a traditional Moroccan dinner, live Moroccan music and traditional entertainment around the campfire, and a fire show. The tour recommends warm clothing and comfortable shoes for cooler evenings, offers vegetarian meals on request, and says that desert activities depend on the weather and may be adjusted. It is not wheelchair accessible. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before.
Season and weather
Wikipedia classifies Marrakesh as a hot semi-arid climate, with long, hot, dry summers and brief, mild to cool winters. Both nights share the same seasons. The desert tour tells you to bring warm clothing for cooler evenings, and for the restaurant a layer for the taxi ride is enough. In the hottest months, check your booking calendar for the time of each evening and plan the rest of the day around the heat.
Who each night suits
Pick Nouba if you want a table, a fixed programme and a smart night in the city, with the freedom to leave when you like. Pick the desert evening if you want the open air, a sunset and transport handled for you, and you do not mind a longer night away from the city. Travelling with someone who uses a wheelchair, only the restaurant fits. Travelling with someone who dislikes late nights, check the times in each booking calendar first.
What you pay for on the night
Neither ticket is the whole bill. At Nouba the ticket covers the dinner show, and drinks, transport and tips are extra, so the bar is the line to watch. On the desert evening the tour includes transport, a guide and soft drinks, and you should still carry some cash for tips and extras. Whichever you choose, read the includes list on the booking page before you pay, and ask the operator about anything that is not clear.
Doing both
Nothing stops you booking both on different nights. A sensible order is the desert evening early in a trip, while you are fresh and the weather is on your side, and the restaurant later, as a dressed-up last night. Do not stack them on consecutive nights unless you are happy to eat a long dinner twice, because both are built around a meal and a show. Free cancellation at least 24 hours ahead covers both, and each can be booked now and paid for later.
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