Jounieh International Festival took off last night with a 7 minute synchronized fireworks show along the coast. Not much people have yet shared the videos they took so here’s one from MTV Lebanon.
Photo via @naylayared
Jounieh International Festival took off last night with a 7 minute synchronized fireworks show along the coast. Not much people have yet shared the videos they took so here’s one from MTV Lebanon.
Photo via @naylayared
The good people at Lebtivity have the full program for nearly each and every festival going around the country this summer. So I thought it would be nice to compile them all in one post to help both tourists and locals better know about them and pick the concerts and events they would like to attend. Clicking on each event will lead you to its respective program on Lebtivity.com.
The International Festival has been held annually since 2003, in July. It takes place by the seaside in the historic quarter, in front of the castle built by Crusaders in the 12th century.
The festivals date back to the mid 20th century with the first organizing activities being held in 1955. After one year, presiden Chamoun named it the Baalbeck International Festival, which became a governmental institution whose goal was to promote tourism and Lebanese culture.
The Beiteddine Festival was launched amidst war and destruction in the middle of the 80’s. It came as an act of faith in Lebanon’s cultural specificity and its power of creativity and artistic freedom. It was a call for normality in the middle of the chaos and madness of the civil war. The festival takes place in the large 200-year old Beiteddine Palace.
Jounieh International Festival was launched in 2011 is now famous for the opening ceremony marked by the synchronized fireworks show along the bay of Jounieh. The festival takes place at Fouad Chehab stadium.
Zouk International Festival was launched in 2010 and attracts guests from all over the country and abroad. Zouk Mikael is 10 minutes away from Beirut, perched on a hill of Kesrouwan overlooking the Mediterranean. Its roman styled amphitheatre with a capacity of 2500, built for major events, hosts the festival.
The festival had a shy and amateur debut in the early 90’s until it acquired international standards and earned its place among international cultural festivals. In 2009, the Batroun International Festival was born and started hosting leading local and international artist from all over the world.
Ehdeniyat, which started in 2004, flourished from a local and national event to an International festival of Music and Art. But above all this, Ehdeniyat became an experience of glamour, culture and tradition; “An Experience that Never Ends”.
Beirut Holidays is a series of concerts and shows in the heart of Beirut Souks. Launched in 2012, the festival brings together diverse musical performances and talents, local artists and international performers, from East and West mixing varying genres and tastes.
After almost half a century, the Cedars International Festival will return this summer to Bsharri. The northern town will host several of Lebanon’s top artists as part of an effort to revive tourism in the district. The four-night festival will feature a wide range of musical and artistic performances.
An enchanting event taking place in Dbayeh this summer. An initiative by Tajammo Ahel Al Mahabba for the fifth consecutive year to raise the voice of hope and peace in Lebanon.
Moreover, the below smaller festivals will also be happening.
For those who missed Jounieh’s fireworks show Friday night, I found the below video of it from MTV Lebanon. (Start watching at the 4 minute mark)
I just found this cool video by Rodrigue Zahr of the synchronized firework show and the boat gathering that marked the opening of Jounieh International Festival last night. For more info about the festival program, make sure to check this website.
You can check another video posted by Najib here.
Who’s that guy sneaking a peek at our national treasure?
Ziad Rahbani will be performing in two concerts next week on June 7th and 8th at Notre Dame University in Zouk Mosbeh, in addition to another concert next month on July 25th at Zouk Mikael International Festival.
For those who are interested, tickets for NDU concert are available at all branches of Malik’s Bookshop, while tickets for Zouk Mikael concert will be available at Virgin Megastore.
A total of 47 short films from 21 different countries will be presented to the public during this three day event, with free entrance for everyone. The festival program is available here if you’re interested.
The Beirut Spring Festival was created in 2009 by the Samir Kassir Foundation to commemorate his assassination, and was inspired by one of the last articles written by him.
This year’s version of te festival starts on May 26th and will last for five days, featuring several artisits at different venues around Beirut, and below is the festival program.
For more information you can check Beirut Spring Festival’s website or Facebook page.
The Hay Festival is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, to celebrate writers, artists and thinkers for 10 days from May to June. And since last year, the festival has expanded to Beirut and several other international cities.
This year’s version will be held for three days from May 8 till May 10 at several venues across Beirut, and you may check the full program here.
I just learned Yanni will be performing at Byblos Festival on June 30th and July 1st as part of his world tour this year. He’s absolutely one of my favorite musicians and I’m really glad we will finally get to see him live here.
In case you’ve never heard of him, chances are you have definitely heard some of his work since a lot of Lebanese radio and TV shows use some of the music he composes.
Tickets will be on sale for 50, 75, 100, 150 and $200, and can be purchased from all Vigrin branches or online here.