On the Festival of Booths, a cornucopia of festivals
The Sukkot holiday brings out tempting events and activities in every corner of the country
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
You may have thought that summertime was the prime season for festivals, but you would have been wrong. We were all wrong. Because there’s a brief period of time that outstrips the summer in terms of the sheer number of festivals — multi-day events celebrating almost anything — and that is the holiday of Sukkot.
It’s during the eight days of Sukkot that nearly every institution or organization pulls out all the stops, inviting the country at large to celebrate whatever it has to offer, Greek music or jazz, sculpture, puppets and drawing, kite flying, storytelling and vintage clothing.
So whether you head north, south or center over Sukkot, you’re sure to happen upon a festival. Take a look at our list and make a mental note to stop in at one of the many festivals happening around the country. Enjoy, and hag same’ach.
1) Haifa’s a great destination if you’re looking for something to do over the holiday. Besides an ample list of activities at each of the Haifa museums (see next paragraph), there’s Sukkot in Downtown Haifa (called IrTahtit in Hebrew), around the the bay city’s slowly developing port area. Most of the activities are free, including a fashion and photography exhibit that opens on October 7. But the real fun begins on Monday, October 13, with a two-day jazz marathon on Jaffa Street, featuring Alma Zohar on Monday and Arik Sinai on Tuesday (each at 9 pm). From 11 pm until 2 am, join in the fun of an earphone party, where you can dance to your own beat. And don’t miss the StrongMan in Israel Festival on Wednesday, October 15, when muscle guys will compete by changing tires, lifting beer kegs and pushing trucks. Go to the IrTahtit website for information, times and prices.
Haifa’s museums are also offering special Sukkot activities, with pirate and kite activities at the National Maritime Museum, sukkah decorations at the Haifa City Museum and Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art; painting on the porch of the Mané Katz Museum; and printmaking at Hermann Struck Museum. See the Haifa Museums website for more details.
2) There’s music and activities at Ariel Sharon Park, the former Hiriya garbage dump turned massive eco-park in the country’s center. Take tours of the park, try some recycling activities and visit in the park’s massive sukkah (NIS 40 per person, or NIS 200 per family). Head over there at night, when musicians Chava Alberstein (October 11), Arkady Duchin (October 12) and the Dudaim — Israel Gurion and Asaf Amdursky (October 13) take the stage. Concerts start at 9 pm, and tickets cost NIS 185, ordered through leaan.co.il (*8780).
3) Love stories? Try out the 21st Annual Storytelling Festival in Givatayim, with more than 800 performers from around Israel and the globe in more than 100 performances. Local tale-tellers will include Amos Oz, Lea Koenig, Shay Gabso and Yaron Dekel, while the visiting storytellers are from Holland, Romania, Iran, Poland and Portugal. Go to www.yossi-alfi.co.il for ticket prices and times.
4) If riding bikes on Yom Kippur gets you back on two wheels, consider the Sovev (around) Tel Aviv bike event, the biggest bike-riding event in Israel. Now in its fifth year, the October 15 event offers four different routes for all levels of bike riders, from beginners and families through more experienced riders: a 41-kilometer for ages 16 and up (6:45 am); 21 kilometers for ages 8 and up (7:45 am); 8 kilometers, any age (9:45 am); and a 21-kilometer route for rollerbladers (7:30 am). The cost is NIS 80 per person, and NIS 200 for families of up to four (15% discount for TLV residents with Digital card). The city is holding a pre-bike event at Rabin Square, October 12-14, with workshops, activities and exhibits. If you’re interested in participating in the bike ride, you must register at sovevtlv.org.il
5) Looking for some more events up north? Head to Katzrin on October 13, for a taste of local brewery Bazelet beer while listening to Evyatar Banai perform in the northern town’s Katzrin Park. October 13, 7:30 pm, NIS 100 per ticket, NIS 15 per beer. Up in the Maayanot Valley, there’s the Hol Hamoed festival of the water towers, as the local communities raise money to renovate their water towers and guard posts, many of them dating from the early years of the state. The region is sponsoring tours, activities and concerts, hosting the Ra’anana Symphony, Yehonatan Geffen, Yoni Rechter, David D’Or and Hadag Nachash. Prices range from free to NIS 100, go to maianot.co.il for more information.
6) Back in the center, there’s a special exhibit of the puppets from local kids TV channel HOP! at Holon’s Israel Puppet Center, a great opportunity for kids to gaze upon their favorite TV characters. There will be workshops as well, and entry to the exhibit is free, October 11-16, 16 David Remez Street, Holon.
Try another free event, at Museum on the Grass, the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art’s sculpture garden event on Sunday, October 12, starting at 4 pm. Adults and kids are welcome to wander around the garden, taking part in drumming, movement, yoga, sculpture and photography activities. 4 Habanim Street, Herzliya.
The City of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is inviting the public to sample one museum a day for free, during Sukkot. There’s Beit HaIr and Bialik House on October 12 (10-2), the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art on October 13 (7-11 pm), the Tel Aviv Museum of Art on October 14 (2-9), Beit Reuben on October 16 (10-2), Eretz Israel Museum on October 17 (10-2) and the Nachum Gutman Museum on October 18 (10-5).
7) Looking to buy something new? Try the T:Market in Tel Aviv, on October 9, 10 and 11, where funky T-shirts and accessories made by young local artists never fail to interest. Entry is free, 8 Rechov Dubnov. There’s also the always-popular Yad2 Festival, the massive bazaar sponsored by the well-known website for all things secondhand. Held overlooking the water on October 13 and 14 at Tel Aviv’s Charles Clore Park, entry is free to window shop at this cornucopia of people’s stuff. Bring the kids’ old toys to the toy exchange table (only one exchange per customer), have a seat for the vintage clothing fashion show and set up your own booth (but register first at live.yad2.co.il).
8) If you haven’t made it to the Eretz Israel Museum kite exhibit (open until November 8), drive on over to the Israel Museum Kite Festival, which got pushed from August to October. Held on October 13 (10:30-6 pm), the festival — free for kids 17 and under — will include kite-flying in the sculpture garden, kite workshops under the towering wonder that is Big Bambú, learning from professional kite flyers and live music. There’s also storytelling, sukkah decoration-making and the new tree house outside the Youth Wing, October 12-14, and the museum is open until 9 pm throughout the holiday.
9) It’s the season for the desert, where cool winds sometimes blow during the day and certainly keep you comfortable at night. Head to the Timna Live! festival at the ancient park near Eilat, where a myriad of activities will keep folks busy during the day, from bike riding, hiking and workshops — arts and crafts as well as drum circles and jam sessions — to live concerts at night. There are several kinds of camping options, from ready-made tents with beds and simple cooking facilities to DIY campgrounds. Head to the Timna website for more information and reservations.
10) Need a Wiki festival? There’s Wiki Loves Monuments, an online photography competition taking place in Israel to promote the country’s cultural heritage. Amateur and professional photographers are welcome to take photos of any national heritage site, according to the map and lists, and register and then submit an entry with a Wikimedia Commons account.
There were 7,000 images submitted from Israel last year, and the two most photographed landmarks were the Jaffa and Tel Aviv ports. The three best photos will win cash prizes, and the final deadline is October 24. Good luck!
