The Hammamet International Festival is underway at one of Tunisia’s most atmospheric performance venues — the open-air theatre built into the walls of the Hammamet kasbah, set directly above the beach. The August programme runs through the end of the month and covers music, dance, and theatrical performances from Tunisian and regional North African and Mediterranean artists.
The Venue
The Hammamet kasbah theatre is an unusual setting: a purpose-built open-air stage that uses the 15th-century fortification as its backdrop, with seating for several thousand spectators. Performances take place after dark, with the sea providing both a backdrop and a soundtrack. The combination of the setting and the warm August evenings makes the festival one of the more distinctive cultural experiences available in Tunisia during the summer.
What’s On in August
The August programme typically features the festival’s larger-scale events, including orchestral performances, Tunisian classical music (malouf), contemporary dance, and visiting artists from across the Maghreb and wider Mediterranean. Specific acts for 2026 include Tunisian popular music alongside North African fusion performances.
The festival is distinct from the Festival de Carthage, which runs at the Roman amphitheatre in Carthage near Tunis and focuses more heavily on international pop and world music headliners. Hammamet’s programme leans towards regional and classical forms, though the August calendar includes crossover programming that has broader appeal.
Attending
Tickets are available from the festival box office in Hammamet and from authorised agents in Tunis. Evening performances generally start around 9pm. The kasbah itself is in the old medina, a short walk from the beach hotels that line the bay — access on foot from most accommodation in the town centre takes under fifteen minutes.
Hammamet is one of Tunisia’s most developed resort areas, with a large concentration of hotels ranging from all-inclusive beach properties to smaller guesthouses in and around the medina. Our Hammamet destination guide covers the beach, the medina, and the kasbah in more detail, including how to get there from Tunis.
Combining with Other Destinations
A festival visit pairs naturally with a few days on Djerba, Tunisia’s island destination in the south, which has its own summer event programme. Alternatively, a day trip from Hammamet into the surrounding area is straightforward by car or organised excursion — we cover the main options in our Hammamet day trip guide.
The Hammamet International Festival is one of the longest-running cultural events in Tunisia, with editions dating back to the 1960s. Its setting remains one of the country’s most compelling reasons to time a visit to the coast in late July or August.