Morocco Holiday Week August 20-26, 2026: Beach Weather Outlook for Revolution Day, Youth Day and Mawlid Nabawi

The week of August 20-26, 2026 is one of the biggest beach weeks of the Moroccan summer. It packs three public holidays into seven days: the Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People on Thursday August 20, Youth Day (Fete de la Jeunesse) on Friday August 21 and Mawlid Nabawi - the Prophet's birthday - on Tuesday August 25. With the first two landing on Thursday and Friday, many families turn them into a four-day weekend, and many bridge Monday August 24 to stretch the second break around Mawlid on the coast, from Tangier and the Mediterranean resorts to Agadir, Essaouira and the lagoon of Dakhla.

If that is your plan, here is the good news from the forecast charts: the exceptional heatwave that has dominated Morocco since early August is easing from around August 19, as cooler maritime air works back over the country. The holiday week should bring genuinely pleasant beach weather almost everywhere - but the details matter. The Atlantic coast will be mild and at times windy, the Mediterranean warmer with a hot finish, and Dakhla sunny and breezy all week. This guide breaks it down city by city.

Three holidays, one long beach week

The week opens with the Anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People on Thursday, August 20 - the national holiday commemorating the 1953 exile of King Mohammed V and the popular uprising that carried Morocco to independence. Friday August 21 is Youth Day, so together the two form a ready-made four-day weekend (August 20-23). Then, Aid al Mawlid Annabaoui falls on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448), officially confirmed by the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs after the Rabi al-Awwal crescent was sighted on the evening of Thursday August 13 - see our companion article on MoroccoHelp Islam for how Morocco fixes the date and the traditions of the day. Since the holiday lands mid-week, many workers bridge Monday August 24 for a five-day second break. The practical result: one large exodus at the top of the week, a second mini-exodus around Mawlid, and packed coastal roads on Wednesday evening August 19, again around Monday evening August 24, and on the big returns on Sunday evening August 23 and Tuesday evening August 25.

Beach destinations feel this triple-holiday effect more than any other part of the country. Expect fully booked accommodation in Agadir, Essaouira, M'diq, Saidia and Al Hoceima, crowded stretches of sand near city centres, and busy corniches after sunset - so choosing your spot, and knowing its weather profile, is worth a few minutes of planning.

The big picture: three coastal weather regimes

After the intense heat of the first half of August, the pattern for the holiday week splits Morocco's seaboard into three fairly distinct regimes:

1. Atlantic trade-wind coast (Agadir, Essaouira): daytime highs mostly in the mid-to-upper 20s C, cool nights around 19-21 C, dry weather, morning fog patches, and fresh north-to-northwest winds - strong enough on August 21-22 over Essaouira to matter for beach umbrellas and swimmers.
2. Mediterranean coast (Tangier, M'diq, Saidia, Al Hoceima): warmer and less windy for most of the week, with highs of roughly 27-32 C, a small chance of a passing shower around August 21, and then a noticeable heat spike on Monday August 24 and again on Wednesday August 26, when easterly flow could push temperatures to 35-36 C in the Tetouan and Saidia areas - while Mawlid day itself (Tuesday August 25) stays a notch milder.
3. Dakhla and the southern Atlantic: wall-to-wall sunshine, steady northeast trade winds around 30 km/h (this is why the lagoon is a world kitesurf capital), with a warming trend from around 26-28 C early in the week to 31-33 C by August 25-26.

City by city outlook

Agadir - reliable, mild, family-friendly

Agadir enters the holiday week with one last warm day around 31 C on Thursday August 20, then settles into its classic August rhythm: 26-28 C by day, 19-23 C at night, essentially no rain, and a refreshing Atlantic breeze. Expect the familiar morning marine cloud or fog patches - especially around August 21 - burning back to sunshine by late morning. UV will be high (index 7-9), so the usual midday precautions apply. Sea temperatures around 22-23 C feel brisk but pleasant in the midday heat. See our Agadir-region climate context and our guide to summer fog on the Atlantic coast.

Essaouira - wind machines on August 21-22

Essaouira stays cool all week (25-28 C by day, around 20 C at night) and dry, but the headline is wind: a windy episode on Friday August 21 and Saturday August 22 should bring sustained winds of 30-36 km/h with gusts near 70 km/h - brilliant news for windsurf and kitesurf fans, less so for parasols and sandcastles. Winds ease gradually from August 23 while staying fresh. Swimming should respect the flag system on the windiest days, when surf builds and currents strengthen. UV index 8-9.

Casablanca and Rabat - the big-city corniches

For holidaymakers who cannot leave the big cities, the Casablanca (Ain Diab) and Rabat corniches deliver a remarkably stable week: 26-29 C in Casablanca and 26-28 C in Rabat, nights of 20-22 C, virtually no rain. The trade-off is the famous overcast "white mornings" - the marine layer that often keeps the sky milky until midday before sunshine breaks through. Expect the breeziest spell around August 21 (gusts to 45 km/h) and solid UV index 8 whenever the sun does win out. Arrive early to beat corniche traffic on the holidays themselves.

El Jadida and Oualidia - calm water and oyster lagoons

South of Casablanca, El Jadida runs a gentle 26-27 C all week with its own windy moment on August 21 (gusts near 50 km/h), then clearing to superb beach days from August 24-26. Neighbouring Oualidia, with its famous oyster lagoon and shallow warm water, shares the same pattern and is one of the safest swims in Morocco for small children.

Tangier - comfortable start, hot finish

The Strait city looks pleasant through the first half of the week: 25-30 C, mostly dry, with a slight chance of a shower on August 21 (around 20 percent) as a weak disturbance passes. The bigger story is the heat spike on Monday August 24, up to about 35 C, easing to a hot but manageable 31 C for Mawlid itself on Tuesday August 25. Nights stay warm (19-22 C). For context on those easterly hot spells, see our chergui wind guide.

Asilah - the quiet northern alternative

Half an hour south of Tangier, Asilah's white-washed medina fronts a string of quiet beaches with 26-28 C and light winds for most of the week - one of the calmest Atlantic cards of the holiday. Like Tangier, it catches the August 24 chergui spike (about 34 C) before dropping back to 27 C for Mawlid day. A small chance of a passing shower lingers around August 20-21. Go early: its small beaches fill fast on the two holiday weekends.

M'diq and the Tetouan coast - calm seas, hot finale

The M'diq-Martil-Cabo Negro strip - the holiday favourite of northern Morocco - offers 27-32 C with light to moderate winds for most of the week, which keeps sea conditions gentle and family-friendly. Mawlid day itself (Tuesday August 25) comes in hot at about 32 C in sunshine, but the fiercest chergui-type spike - around 36 C - is possible the very next day, Wednesday August 26, for those extending their stay. Plan celebrations for the evening, keep children hydrated, and favour beaches with shade nearby.

Saidia - the warmest water, humid heat

The "Blue Pearl" of the far northeast runs 29-35 C through the week with warm, humid nights of 22-26 C - the classic Mediterranean August. It faces spikes near 35 C on Monday August 24 and Wednesday August 26, with Mawlid day (Tuesday 25) at about 32 C. The compensation is the warmest sea of the thirteen destinations, around 25-26 C, and generally moderate winds. Families with elderly members should be mindful of the humid heat during the midday hours of the final days.

Al Hoceima - the balanced Mediterranean option

Al Hoceima and its coves (Quemado, Torres, Cala Bonita) offer arguably the most balanced card of the week: 28-29 C through the middle days, rising to about 32 C in sunshine for Mawlid day (August 25) and beyond, gentle winds mostly below 15 km/h, and very low rain chances. It is a good pick if you want Mediterranean warmth without the biggest heat spikes.

Nador - the lagoon coast

Across the bay, Nador and its Marchica lagoon run 28-32 C through the week - warm, with a chance of a passing shower around August 20-23 (10-18 percent) and humid nights of 22-25 C. Mawlid day reaches about 31 C in clear skies, but the August 26 spike (around 35 C) rivals M'diq for the hottest finish of the week - plan the drive home early on Wednesday or wait for the evening.

Sidi Ifni - the cool Atlantic retreat

Perched where the Anti-Atlas meets the ocean, Sidi Ifni is the coolest card in the deck: just 22-24 C all week, nights near 19-20 C, with patches of ocean drizzle on some mornings and a stubbornly high UV index (9) whenever the cloud thins. Winds stay moderate and calm right down for Mawlid (about 10 km/h on August 25-26). Bring a light layer for the evenings - and savour a beach week without a single 30 C day.

Dakhla - sun, wind and a warming trend

The far-south lagoon destination is the most stable of all: clear skies every single day, steady NNE trades around 30 km/h with slightly lower winds easing only on August 26, and a slow warm-up from 26-28 C early in the week to 31-33 C by August 25-26. Nights hover near a mild 20-22 C, and rain is essentially zero. Kitesurfers get prime conditions all week; beach families should pick sheltered lagoon-side spots rather than the open ocean front, and note the extreme UV (index up to 10) at latitude 24 N.

Comparison table: the holiday week at a glance

Mawlid day itself: Tuesday August 25

On the holiday itself, the split is clear. Atlantic: around 26-28 C in Agadir and Essaouira with sunshine and fresh air - close to ideal for a festive beach day, though Essaouira stays windy. Mediterranean: hot, 31-32 C from Tangier to Saidia - celebrate morning and evening, rest at midday, and take care of elderly relatives and infants during daytime gatherings; the fiercest chergui heat (35-36 C) is forecast either side of the holiday, on Monday August 24 and Wednesday August 26. Dakhla: sunny, around 31 C, slightly softer winds.

A note on confidence: the numbers above for August 19-23 rest on solid multi-model agreement, while the August 24-26 values, including the Mediterranean heat spike and its exact timing, carry moderate confidence at this range. We will refresh this outlook as Mawlid approaches - always cross-check the official DGM bulletins and vigilance maps at marocmeteo.ma before finalising plans, especially for sea conditions.

Practical advice for the holiday week

• Sun protection is non-negotiable. UV indexes of 8-10 are forecast on every coast. Shade between 11:00 and 16:00, SPF 30+ re-applied after swimming, hats for children - details in our Morocco UV index guide.
• Swim where it is supervised. The Atlantic's fresh trades mean building surf and currents on the Essaouira-Dakhla stretch, especially August 21-22; obey flag systems. The Mediterranean will be calmest early in the week. Water temperatures and beach-picking tips are in our sea temperature guide and best summer beaches roundup.
• Plan around the fog on Atlantic mornings. Coastal road trips (Casablanca-Essaouira-Agadir) are best started after the morning fog lifts; visibility can drop for a few hours after sunrise.
• Beat the late-week heat on the Med. Book shade, plan water activities for the morning of August 24-26, and see our heatwave survival advice for the warning signs of heat illness.
• Travel off-peak. Expect heavy traffic from Wednesday evening August 19 through Friday morning toward the coast, a big return flow on Sunday evening August 23, a second outward wave around Monday evening August 24 (workers bridging to Mawlid) and the main return on Tuesday evening August 25; leave early or very late, and never leave children or pets in parked cars at 30 C+.
• Respect the sea state flags and DGM vigilance colors. Windy days on the Atlantic can close some beaches to swimming even under a blue sky.

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