For the first time, the 10-year-old music event is being held on the outskirts of Timbuktu rather than at a desert oasis further north of the city.
Some Western tourists have been kidnapped for ransom in northern Mali in recent months.
That has prompted warnings from some western governments for their citizens to stay away the area.
The vast area of the Sahara Desert is now being used as a hiding place for a relatively small number of militants from a group known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
On Wednesday, a strongly worded statement from the French foreign ministry warned its citizens to stay away from the festival - to the anger of some Malian officials.
"We do not understand the attitude of our French friends," Malian Tourism Minister N'diaye Bah told the AFP news agency.
He added that "all necessary precautions" had been taken.
"Everything is proceeding normally. We are at peace," he said.
The organisers say transport between the various events will be improved, as will the campsite's security, to ensure the safety of the festival-goers.
The three-day festival usually takes place in Essakane, a Saharan oasis about 65km (40 miles) from Timbuktu.
It evolved from a cultural Tuareg event, when the nomadic people came together to exchange information, make music and celebrate.
"(From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8448200.stm)
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