Jemaa el-Fna Square (Arabic: ساحة جامع الفنا, "place of the dead") is a famous public square in the southwestern part of the medina of Marrakesh, Morocco. This traditional, popular and lively mecca, especially at night, attracts more than a million visitors each year.
A veritable Court of Miracles, at the gateway to the souks of Marrakech, close to the Koutoubia Mosque and the Royal Palace, this square is one of the main traditional and historical tourist attractions in Morocco. It is animated by an important popular life from the end of the afternoon until the call to prayer at dawn. More than a million visitors pass through every year and more than 10,000 meals are served per day11.
Indeed, during the day, many fairground vendors, street vendors and street artists are present (fire-eaters, henna tattoo artists, monkey showers, snake charmers, fortune tellers, etc.), while at night, food stalls are notably present.
The "halqa" refers to the circle of spectators around a storyteller and by extension the street performance itself. The halqa can be shows of acrobats, storytellers, dancers with their musicians or popular comedies12 of varying degrees of slapstick. The first mention of a halqa in the chronicles of the square dates back to the 17th century. Some shows or tales have remained famous and have contributed to the recognition as intangible cultural heritage of humanity3.
From the Riad Eloise Medina Marrakech you can get there on foot in less than 15 minutes normally, but I doubt that this will be the case as there are so many things that will attract your curiosity along the way