Make it a White Night in Tel Aviv

From beach concerts to headphone parties, Israel’s party capital ready to celebrate its annual all-night festival

By Jessica Steinberg

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

29 June 2016, 8:01 pm

Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

This Thursday night, June 30, marks the arrival of Tel Aviv’s White Night, an all-night affair of free and low-cost events throughout the streets, courtyards and auditoriums of the white-walled city.

Events this year include a number of musical, theater and dance performances as well as opera recitals, poetry readings, street fairs and literary discussions.

Here’s a selection of what’s on for Thursday:

The European Union, sans Britain of course, is presenting five hours of arts and crafts workshops, including Austrian street art, Finnish works, Romanian textiles and Italian street dance. From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., 1 Rothschild Boulevard.

Head to a chill out party on the roof of the Tel Aviv municipality, (8 p.m. to 1 a.m.) while overlooking the headphone party at Rabin Square, where you can tune into the DJ setup and Radio Tel Aviv broadcast. Headphones are available for rent at NIS 40 per pair. Sunset until 2 a.m.

Start the party with Wednesday night’s White Night Picnic, an outdoor, three-course dinner (bring your own food) where everything — including outfits and table settings — is in white. Advance registration is required, and it’s for pairs only, whether couples, friends or family members. The location will remain a secret until one hour before the event.

Lighting up the Tel Aviv municipality during the 2015 White Night (Miriam Alster/Flash 90)

There’s every kind of music during White Night, including Greek music in Jaffa, rock and roll at Frishman Beach, bands at Sarona and three hours of opera with the Israeli Opera.

The same goes for dance, with folk dancing at Suzanne Dellal and Gordon Beach and swing dancing at Dizengoff Square.

Tel Aviv University will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a series of short, pithy lectures at a pop-up space at the Tel Aviv port, starting at 8:30 p.m.

You’d rather sit and watch? That’s the ticket at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque that will host video works on the outside walls of the theater followed by all-night screenings, including a Star Wars marathon that starts at midnight.

For more information and hours, head to the White Night page on the Tel Aviv municipality website.