Festivales & Eventos Culturales

The International Film Festival began in 2006 and works to promote inter-cultural dialogue and cultural diversity while helping to create adequate conditions for the development of cultural activities through regional and international networking. The KIFF targets areas of Palestine that are physically isolated or economically marginalized, helping Palestinians from all walks of life to learn about more than the political story of their nation. Through hosting workshops, filmmakers, and screenings, as well as bringing in a number of regional and global celebrities, Al-Kasaba is able to put on a unique show year after year.

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Since its debut back in 1994, the annual Lettuce Festival which takes place in the beautiful village of Artas just south of Bethlehem near Solomon;s Pools brings locals and visitors together in a joyful festival celebrating and honoring the eternal Palestinian peasant. Organized by the Artas Folklore Center is truly an experience as you get the chance to interact with the living stones of this ancient land and experience the hospitality and culture of Palestinian in real life.

Artas Folklore Center

Announcement of the Nineteenth Annual Artas Lettuce Festival

On Thursday, April 18 from 4-7 pm take part in the 19th Artas Lettuce Festival, which is annually celebrated in Artas, a village located just next to Bethlehem.

“A beautiful village just to the south of Bethlehem, Artas lies at a crossroads of the ecosystems, is steeped in traditions and folklore of successive civilizations and has distinction of being the most documented village in Palestine.”

Artas is famous for its fertile valley where mostly lettuce is planted. Friendly people of the village would like to share with you the joy of the lettuce harvest. They have prepared a cultural program featuring traditional Palestinian songs and dances which will be presented at the amphitheater of the Solomon’s Pools. Everybody is welcomed!

To learn more about Artas visit the http://www.palestine-family.net/ website.

In case of any questions, please contact the Visitor Information Center in Bethlehem at vicbethlehem@gmail.com . Follow also their blog (https://vicbethlehem.wordpress.com/) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/VICbethlehem) for updates and events in the area of Bethlehem.

Palestine is slowly becoming more and more popular with bird watchers. Its position at the crossroads between Africa, Asia and Europe make it a pathway for the biyearly migration of over 500 million birds that come spring time travel from Africa through Palestine and into Europe and Asia and then back again to Africa come fall.

The country itself has a remarkable variety of habitats, each with its own compliment of birds. And what’s more, you can bird-watch among some of the world’s famous archaeological and historical sites such as the Jericho region, Wadi Quilt, and the Jerusalem Wilderness. The Palestine Wildlife Society has identified some 13 Important Bird Areas In Palestine. For more information of Palestinian Wildlife please visit the Wildlife Society at www.wildlife-pal.org .

The Bird Watching festival takes place at the Botanical Gardens in Jericho around March. The festival will enable you to explore the migratory route of birds across the Jordan Valley. Besides bird watching other activities at the festival include tree planting and visits to archeological sites within the Jericho area.

At the height of summer, the still-sleepy city of Birzeit comes to life in a five-day festival of music, dance, cuisine, film, poetry, and theatre, all within the beautifully restored old city. Home to one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the region, Birzeit is known for its college-town ambience and wonderful hospitality. While it is already a popular destination for local families, international tourists are increasingly moving beyond the traditional tourist sites in the West Bank to enjoy the living culture of Palestine amidst the beautifully terraced hillsides.

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Held every year in December, the annual Christmas bazaar features booths organized by the expatriate community from all corners of the earth. Every year, Manger square is filled with locals and tourists alike coming to enjoy the spirit of celebrating Christians.

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For dance lovers of all types, the annual Contemporary Dance Festival simply cannot be missed. Sareyyet Ramallah, a local troupe of scouts that also focuses on increasing Palestinian youth access to culture, puts on a three-week festival that brings together performers from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. In addition to a large number of performances, this festival also hosts a number of workshops for the community. This combination of spectator ship and participation creates a lively and creative atmosphere for visitors to come and enjoy the best that Palestinian, and indeed world, performance artists have to offer.

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Do you like music – any and every kind of music? Then you simply cannot miss the annual Fête de la Musique. Organized by Al Kamandjati in cooperation with the French Consulate, this four-day event brings together local and international artists for a celebration of contemporary and classical music. Each day of the performance is held in a different venue throughout the West Bank and is open to the public. The atmosphere and university setting of these events make them a unique treat for audiences – and it only gets better year by year.

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The Palestinian National Theater (PNT) was founded in 1984 by El-Hakawati Theater Company. One year later, the management of the center was handed over to a board of directors composed of artists, writers, and notable persons in the Palestinian community. The PNT supports or participates in a number of the annual cultural festivals listed above, but they are especially famous for their annual International Puppet Festival that is held between 15 and 30 October. This festival brings together local and foreign puppeteers to delight audiences of Palestinian children and adults alike. In a day and age where Palestinian youth are engulfed in new high-tech gadgetry, the not-so-lost art of the puppeteer leaves them as awestruck as the most digitally advanced movies.

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Jerusalem Music Festival

The Jerusalem Festival 2012:

The Jerusalem Festival takes place every year in the context of the communal and national role of culture in the struggle for survival faced by the city of Jerusalem. Cultural expression enables the Palestinian people to remain strong and maintain their hopes and aspirations for a better future. National identity is nurtured and integrated into history through various forms of human activities: music, theatre, cinema, poetry and the novel, thought, education, architecture, socio-political action, and daily conduct. These many activities combine to portray the story of a people deeply rooted in their land and who tirelessly seek to achieve freedom, independence and progress.

Since its launch in 1996, the Jerusalem Festival has exhibited an artistic-cultural vision in this annual event of various arts that are performed in different geographical locations in the city. The Festival has involved large numbers of people and has adopted the principle of cooperation and participation with arts and community organizations. Moreover, the Festival has given priority to local productions in order to develop local capacities and provide popular artistic platforms. The Festival can be defined as a progressive national arts event.

Building on the rich experience of previous Jerusalem Festivals, in addition to conclusions drawn from the daily cultural activities of Yabous and observations about the deterioration of education, culture and the national status of the city in general, the Jerusalem Festival has adopted a totally different approach in terms of content and programming for this year; this will reflect the quality and development of the Festival’s general performance over past years.

With each year that passes, the burden and responsibility of preserving Jerusalem as a beacon becomes more difficult. Despite the dark clouds of the policies implemented against the city, we embrace the slogan of Jerusalem as a cultural landmark during this year’s festival as it highlights the pivotal role and status of Jerusalem that cannot be undermined.

You are invited to participate with us in the various cultural events and activities on offer: music, dancing, literature, film screening, children’s programs, and improvisations in various locations in Jerusalem.

We welcome your participation in the Jerusalem Festival of 2012.

Every year in October, Manger Square comes to life with the sounds, sights and tastes of traditional Bethlehem. Locals and visitors come together to celebrate the long tradition of olive harvest. From musical performances by local groups to traditional dances by the Artas Folklore Group. Exhibiting booths line Manger Square featuring traditional Palestinian handicrafts, olive oils, olive oil soups and the famous Cremisan wine.

Perhaps the oldest and largest of annual festivals, the PIF was founded in 1993 to organise and host the first international cultural events in Palestine. The festivals have brought music and dance groups from Spain, Greece, Chile, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, and Turkey. It is truly the most international festival held in the West Bank. It is, of course, also a celebration of Palestinian artists and heritage. In 2005 the festival expanded beyond Ramallah into a number of various villages and refugee camps throughout the West Bank. The age and scope of the event have made it a “must do” for seasoned and new visitors to Palestine.

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The written word, loved throughout the Middle East, is especially treasured by Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and around the world. The Palestine Festival of Literature brings Palestinian and international artists together for audiences across Palestine, organises cultural festivals with international and local participation, and facilitates workshops with Palestinian students in co-operation with academics. Rather than remaining in one place, the festival is held in several locations throughout Palestine. Last year’s festival wrapped up in the Solidarity Tent of Umm Kamal in Silwan, where an open-mic night for poets and authors was held, as well as a performance by Dam.

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hashat Women’s Film Festival in Palestine is the only ongoing annual women’s film festival in the Arab world. Shashat, which means “screens” in Arabic, held the first edition of its festival in 2005, and is now launching its seventh edition as part of the project, “I am a Woman from Palestine.”

The festival tours nationally in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in partnership with nine Palestinian universities and several cultural and community centres. It celebrates Palestinian, Arab, and international women’s cinema in its objective to explore the social and cultural implications of women’s representations. The festival consists of screenings, discussions, panels, workshops, and the subtitling of selected films into Arabic.

The seventh edition of the festival focuses on Palestinian women filmmakers and consists of the following components – an intensive three-month training/production workshop in Gaza, which resulted in six films by young Gazan women filmmakers; four productions by established women filmmakers; 85 screenings/discussions in 13 Palestinian cities followed by social consultancies; and 6 specially produced TV programmers.
The seventh festival is funded by the European Union, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Goteborg Film Fund, and the Ford Foundation.

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Every October, the village of Taybeh comes to life as hundreds of locals and tourists alike flock to take part in the annual Oktoberfest. The festival includes a wide range of cultural and entertainment activities such as Folkloric music and dance performances, gypsy music, and even hip hop.

In addition to enjoying the atmosphere of the festival and its activities, visitors to Taybeh can also join in guided tours of this Old village and its world famous Taybeh Beer Factory. The tours include visits the Byzantine ruins of St. George Church “Al Khader” which happens to be the oldest building in Taybeh. Other stops include the Greek Orthodox Church with its beautiful 4th century mosaics, the Latin Church of the Redeemer, a Traditional Palestinian House, and a new modern Olive press.

The Jerusalem Show (‘Ala Abwab Al Janna) borrows its English title from the vivacious and atypical formats of the Saturday Night Live show and the Muppet Show, whereas its Arabic title ‘Ala Abwab Al Janna (Outside the Gates of Heaven) references the sacramental veneration that is bestowed on Jerusalem. A similar ludicrous dichotomy is ostensible to Jerusalem’s inhabitants (including those at Al-Ma’mal Foundation).

The Jerusalem Show is neither a biennial nor a one-time event. It is neither a large-scale show nor an international grand exhibition. It is an attempt to intercede within the apocalyptic decadal tides of upheaval under which the city kneels, stealing time during the ebb of violence (yet sunk neck-high in hatred and discrimination) to wage an action of covert resistance to the forced hegemony of one creed and one people on the city. In a way, it can be perceived as a political action, and so the organisers try to garner as much support as possible from institutions, organisations, youth centres, clubs, etc., which operate in the city. The Jerusalem Show presents works, performances, and interventions throughout the Old City as unique actions that promote a re-reading of the city in a creatively open, accessible, and interactive manner.

It is the aim of Al-Ma’mal to re-define its work and position in Jerusalem from that of artistic space-fillers to activists. In a context and time such as this, art, culture, activism, manifestations, political protest, social work, etc., are all part of its actions and its understanding of what a show in Jerusalem should entail.

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The Theatre of the Oppressed is now in its fourth year. The event features performances by local and international groups and is attended by people from around the world. The three-month “season” of theatre dazzles performance art lovers with dozens of extremely varied and unique performances from Ashtar and its international partners. While the Theatre of the Oppressed concept was born on the other side of the ocean and is currently all over the world, the unique experiences and talents of Palestinian artists, combined with the context of the occupation, make the Palestinian version stand out from the rest.

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Unknown to most in the West Bank, but known to most people in Gaza, Theater Day Productions (TDP) hosts an annual Youth Drama and Animation Festival. TDP fills a small area with art and expression created by young people and drama teachers. This year TDP will go to Rafah and parts of Khan Yunis where 15 groups of children will prepare for 6 weeks of drama workshops and video animation. On 26 and 27 October, they will gather in the one venue where their mini-performances and films will be shown to family, friends, teachers, and the community at large. Coffee, sweets, and a public debate about the benefits of theater and arts for children end the two-day festival.

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