As dog days end, summertime events are still hot and happening

Avail yourselves of a street theater festival, free tours of the Foreign Ministry, Negev nights and modern dance

By Jessica Steinberg
  • Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
 21 August 2017, 11:55 am
T-Art at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art; a time for free culture (Courtesy Yaara Oren)

Looking for some late summer fun?

So is everyone, particularly in these final days of the long school vacation when it can seem like you’ve already done everything that’s out there.

But there are just a few more events happening in these dog days of summer.

1) The cozy beach town of Bat Yam opens its streets and boardwalk for a theater (and street theater) festival, taking place on August 23, 24 and 26.

The festival begins at 8:30 p.m. each night, with dozens of local and international acts performing.

Street performers who will participate in the Bat Yam Theater Festival, a free event taking place in Bat Yam, beginning August 23 (Courtesy Bat Yam Theater Festival)

There’s dance, theater, acrobatics, circus, music, jam sessions, animation, performance art, and it’s all free.

This festival, currently in its 20th year, aims to develop and expand art in public spaces, said Amitay Yaish Benuosilio, the festival director.

“It’s also about exposing the public to art in all its forms and varieties,” he added. Check out the Bat Yam Festival site for details and performances.

2) Curious about what it’s like to be a diplomat? The Foreign Ministry is opening its doors to the diplomatic compound on August 27-29 to show just how diplomacy is done.

It’s an event for the whole family, with two-hour tours throughout the Jerusalem offices, including films, short lectures and some virtual reality. Visitors will also have the chance to hear an explanation about the architecture of the building, which opened in 2004, and visit the ministry’s situation room, where diplomatic parleys are held. Visitors must pre-register at this Foreign Ministry website page.

Learn how diplomats do their work at a Foreign Ministry open house at the end of the month (Courtesy Foreign Ministry)

3) Head to the final “T-Art” at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art on August 24, when entrance to the cultural institution is free from 9 p.m. until midnight. The last evening in this series will include musical and dance theater performances, lectures and tours.

Kids learn about the bees at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, which is offering great prices for visitors at the end of the summer season (Courtesy Yad Mordechai)

4) The northern Negev, cooling down in the late summer, is hosting events of its own. There are evening tours among the honey hives of Yad Mordechai and around the crops of the Salad Trail, as well as a chance for a romantic stroll among the orchards of Kfar Maimon and a night tour of herbs in Mavoch Miriam. There are concerts as well, and more information about dates, activities and tickets at the regional Habesor website.

Martin Argyroglo, one of the visiting performers during the upcoming Diver Festival, three weekends of contemporary dance in Tel Aviv and Jaffa (Courtesy Loie Fuller)

5) Tickets are fairly inexpensive for the heavily contemporary and alternative Diver Festival, three weekends of modern dance in and around Jaffa and Tel Aviv, from August 31 through September 16. The performances are held on the usual stages of the city but include both young and experienced choreographers exploring many definitions of dance and inviting collaboration among many kinds of artists and creators. See the Diver Festival website for performances and tickets.

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