Feast of the Throne in Morocco

A Moroccan national holiday

Morocco lists July 30 as the Feast of the Throne among its national holidays. The date is fixed on the Gregorian calendar, unlike the religious holidays whose dates are given by the Islamic calendar.[1][2]

The public-sector decree provides that the day is paid and non-working each year in public administrations, public establishments and concessioned services. A separate decree lists it as a paid, non-working holiday for covered industrial and commercial businesses, liberal professions, and agricultural and forestry operations.[2][3]

Origins and meaning

Morocco’s official historical timeline records that nationalists first celebrated Throne Day in some Moroccan cities on November 18, 1933, without authorization from the French Protectorate. The holiday linked the throne with the country’s national history; the current official calendar identifies it as a national holiday.[4][1]

King Mohammed VI became king in July 1999. On July 30 that year, he directed that Throne Day be celebrated annually on that date and delivered his first throne speech to the nation. The date therefore commemorates the current monarch’s accession and continues a Moroccan national observance that began decades earlier.[5]

Official observances

The official account of Mohammed VI’s accession says that the presentation of allegiance took place in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace in Rabat. It also records that the king addressed the nation in his first throne speech on July 30, 1999. These documented events establish the ceremony and national address as part of the holiday’s royal setting.[5]

Feast of the Throne is a national holiday in Morocco and honours the monarch.[1][4][5]

What to expect

Because government administrations and the covered workplaces named in the decrees have a paid day off, visitors should expect public offices to be closed and some businesses to suspend normal work. The decrees do not specify which individual shops, banks, tourist sites, or transport services operate, so check directly with a provider before travelling or arranging an appointment.[2][3]