Morocco’s Controversial Oktoberfest Proceeds Despite Protests and Venue Change

Initially scheduled to take place in a marquee in Bouskoura in the Casablanca suburbs, the beer festival was ultimately relocated at the last minute to the Royal Golf of Mohammedia, where it was held on October 28. Organized by the German Chamber of Commerce, the festival itself took place after a golf tournament and was animated by a famous German music group, reports Maghreb Intelligence.

The catering, halal and purely Bavarian, was provided by five German chefs and three Moroccan chefs, the same source adds, stating that the beer, as well as the non-alcoholic beverages, were consumed on the occasion by the many participants who paid 1,000 dirhams each to attend the event. The organization of a "beer festival" had sparked a major controversy in Morocco, while alcoholic beverages are sold on every street corner of the kingdom.