Religious & festival
The Cherry Festival at Sefrou and Its Food
Sefrou, a small, historic town in the foothills of the Middle Atlas just south of Fez, has one great seasonal claim to fame: its cherries. Every June, as the orchards on the cool hillsides ripen, the town throws its Fete des Cerises, the cherry festival, one of the oldest such festivals in Morocco. It is a celebration of a single early-summer fruit and of the gentle, orchard-rich life of this corner of the country.
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- Religious & festival
- Updated
- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Sefrou, near Fez, is famous for its cherry harvest and June festival.
- The Fete des Cerises is one of Morocco's oldest fruit festivals.
- Cherries ripen early in the cool Middle Atlas foothills.
- The season brings orchard picnics and fresh, light early-summer eating.
A town and its cherries
Sefrou sits at a slightly higher, cooler elevation than nearby Fez, and its orchards have long been prized for fruit, cherries above all. When they ripen in early summer, the town and the surrounding countryside fill with them, sold fresh from the trees and heaped on stalls. The cherry is genuinely woven into local identity here, and the annual festival is a point of real civic pride.
The cool hill setting means Sefrou eats a little differently from the hot plains, with the orchard fruit of the Middle Atlas — cherries, then later plums, apples and pears — shaping the summer table.
The Fete des Cerises
The cherry festival, held each June, dates back many decades and has grown into a lively few days of celebration recognised for its cultural heritage.
- Cherry harvest: the fruit at its peak, sold and eaten fresh everywhere in town.
- Processions and music: parades, folk performances and festivities through the streets.
- Orchard visits: families heading into the cherry groves to pick and picnic.
- Local sweets and produce: cherries and other Middle Atlas fruit and honey on the stalls.
Eating in cherry season
The food of the season is light and fresh, as befits early summer in a cool hill town. Cherries are eaten mostly as they are, by the handful, and pressed into juice; the surplus is turned into jams and syrups to keep. Around them sits the wider early-summer eating of the region — orchard fruit, grilled meats at family picnics in the groves, salads, bread and mint tea. It is a gentle, seasonal way to eat, tied closely to the trees.
For the wider festival tradition see harvest festivals and moussem food, and for the summer fruit season, figs and summer fruit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sefrou cherry festival?
The Fete des Cerises is an annual festival held each June in Sefrou, a town near Fez famous for its cherry orchards. One of Morocco's oldest fruit festivals, it celebrates the cherry harvest with processions, music, folk performances and stalls of fresh cherries and local produce.
When is cherry season in Morocco?
Cherries ripen in early summer, around June, especially in the cooler foothills of the Middle Atlas around Sefrou. The higher, cooler elevation there suits the fruit, and the harvest is celebrated with the town's long-running cherry festival at the height of the season.
Where is Sefrou?
Sefrou is a small, historic town in the foothills of the Middle Atlas, a short drive south of Fez in north-central Morocco. Sitting at a slightly higher, cooler elevation than Fez, it is known for its orchards and fruit, its old medina, and its annual cherry festival.
What food is eaten during cherry season in Sefrou?
Cherries are eaten mostly fresh by the handful and pressed into juice, with the surplus made into jams and syrups. Around them is the light early-summer eating of the cool hill region — orchard fruit, grilled meats at picnics in the groves, salads, bread and mint tea.