The Festival is a Tuareg cultural event featuring traditional Tuareg music and world music, to be held in Essakane, near Timbuktu, in the Sahara Desert.
The Festival in the Desert is a unique event modelled on traditional gatherings and celebrations of the Tuareg people, the "Blue Men of the Desert." It is an opportunity to meet the Tuareg people hosting and attending the festival; the day-time festivities include traditional Tuareg music, singing, dancing, poetry, ritual swordplay, camel races and artisans' exhibits. The on-stage world-music concerts are held at night, with the lights and sound system powered by electrical generators.