Thrills & spiels

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Holon for the Adloyada Purim carnival on Sunday for some traditional fun, with this year’s parade focusing on toys. More than 20,000 flowers will be used to create an enormous toy train, which will be followed by dancers dressed as flowers. The parade will finish at the steps of the municipal building, where an enormous party featuring Brazilian music and dancing will take place. Over the years, Adloyada has become one of the main Purim attractions, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t a plethora of other activities taking place around the country. This year, there more options than ever for children to have fun and also learn at the same time.

Purim at The Davidson Institute’s Science Garden will expose the mystery that lies behind the phenomenon of magic. The magic festival will include breathtaking demonstrations such as spoon bending, floating in the air and sitting on nails. In the ecosphere there will be demonstrations of camouflage, such as plants that pretend to be stones, insects that pretend to be plants, and flowers that pretend to be insects. The Science Garden will also have a costume parade and a competition with prizes. Visitors are encouraged to come in costume.

On Shabbat, Dr. Molecule, the center’s own magician, will be discovering the wonders of the world with laboratory experiments. The show is for children over the age of five. It costs an extra NIS 10 for each participant.

Saturday – Monday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weizmann Institute, Rehovot Adults NIS 40; children (5 to 18 ) NIS 35. Family ticket NIS 150. For more information, call (08) 934- 2381.

On Saturday, The Noa Dar Dance Group will bring Lea Goldberg’s beloved poems to life. The likes of “Why Did the Boy Laugh in His Dream?” “The Magic Hat” and “The Bad Boy” will be presented in a new and refreshing manner. The show is presented through the eyes of Gad, a little boy who is home alone and has created a rich and colorful world in his imagination, a world that features the strange creatures drawn by Uncle Dream and Aunt Leah, as well as his journey around the world with the help of the Magic Hat. More tricks are drawn out of Goldberg’s magic hat and are recreated on stage with humorous, energetic movement and music and imaginative costumes.

Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 27 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard. For tickets: (03) 607-7020 or online at Bravo, e-tickets.

The Israeli Opera invites youngsters from all over the country to celebrate Purim with a special performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The story, which has been translated into Hebrew by Ehud Manor, is about Prince Tamino and the bird catcher Papageno, who embark on a perilous journey to save Princess Pamina and return her to her mother, the Queen of the Night. Sung in Hebrew. Recommended for ages five and up.

Monday at 11 a.m & 5 p.m. Tuesday at 5 p.m. Israeli Opera, 19 Shaul Hamelech, Tel Aviv. NIS 100/150. For tickets, call (03) 692-7777.

Jerusalemites and tourists alike will have the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the capital’s oldest neighborhoods to see the festive Purim costumes, street parties, children enjoying the atmosphere and yeshiva students getting merry on wine. During the festivities, Beit Shmuel will offer three different family tours in the Old City, as well as a tour for adults that will explore the Purim atmosphere in the haredi neighborhood of Mea She’arim.

NIS 60 – 95. For more details and to reserve, call (02) 620- 3461.

The Yaron Yerushalmi Festival of Children’s Theater returns to the Suzanne Dellal Center on February 23-25. The Orna Porat Theater presents 13 productions, including three premieres: In Bialik’s Garden, based on poems by the national children’s poet; A Party at the Mouse’s Kindergarten with Israel Gurion; and The Princess and the Pea, a play about sensitivity and acceptance.

For a full program and tickets, go to www.porat-theater.co.il or call (03) 511-1444.

The Diaspora Museum (Beit Hatfutsot) is offering something for the whole family on Purim, with a distinctly international focus and flavor. Activities include interactive gallery stories for children from the megila, Purim-themed arts and crafts, as well as other surprises. All day Monday, the whole family can enjoy souvenir costume photos, otherwise known as Flashbox Photos.

Sunday and Monday from noon to 4 p.m. Beit Hatfutsot, Klausner Street, Ramat Aviv. For more information, call (03) 745-7808.

Alrov Mamilla Avenue will host festive carnivals on Sunday and Monday, complete with dancers, fire jugglers, stilt walkers, characters in costume, masquerading and prizes. Actors will roam around in cartoon and fairytale costumes, while fire-eaters and circus acrobats will perform for those looking for something a little edgier. Those who come in costume can have their photo taken for free and have it made into a magnet.

11 King Solomon Street, Jerusalem

Purim 2013 at the Israel Museum will include a mix of workshops, storytelling and street parties. Children will be able to create all sorts of weird and wonderful hats at recycling workshops held on Sunday and Monday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. On the same days, storyteller Shlomit Dvir will combine books with hats for a not-to-bemissed performance. On Shushan Purim there will be a wild street party with jugglers, clowns and stilt walkers with characters from Megilat Esther. Performed by members of the Nurit Katzir Youth Theatre to the sounds of DJ Darnel.

Israel Museum, Jerusalem. For more information, see www.english.imjnet.org.il/

To get into the festive spirit, the artifacts at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv will be dressing up in costumes. The jugs will be wearing masks, the menora will become a noisemaker, and the mosaic will be hiding under a torch. In a range of organized activities for the entire family, the parents and children are invited to discover who will be dressing up, which ancient items ran away from the shelves, and which exhibits switched places without permission.

Eretz Israel Museum, 2 Haim Levanon, Ramat Aviv. Adults NIS 42; students NIS 28; seniors NIS 21; children under 18 free. For more information: www.eretzmuseum.org.il

For the grown-ups

Purim may be a festival for children, but it’s also a time for adults who are looking to find their inner child.

“Leave the little monsters at home and get ready for some positive energy.” That’s the slogan behind Cult Israeli punk rock artist Rami Fortis’s Love Party at the Barby club in Tel Aviv on Friday night. Fortis will bring his wild onstage antics to the concert, which will feature popular songs from every period of his illustrious career.

February 22 at 9:30 p.m. Barby Club, 52 Kibbutz Galuyot, Tel Aviv. NIS 90/110. For more information and tickets, call (03) 518-8123.

The Tel Aviv Municipality is hosting its annual public street fair along Shaul Hamelech Boulevard next to the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Those who dress up and join the party will be treated to music from Tel Aviv’s leading DJs, an urban market featuring ecologically friendly and recycled products, as well as fashion stalls. Festivities begin at noon. Despite the relatively early start, food and alcohol stalls will line the street to ensure that party goers have a good time.

Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, Tel Aviv. From noon onwards. Free entry.

Lady Gaga will be making a special guest appearance in Tel Aviv for Purim all the way from Times Square in New York. Gaga will be making an appearance at the Tel Aviv Port in the form of a 12 meter wide, 4.5 meter high climbing wall. Those who don’t want to wait for the actual singing sensation to make her way to the Holy Land can make do with a climb on the gigantic wall, similar to the one used in her recent advertising campaign in Times Square.

Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Hangar 11, Tel Aviv Port.

Jaffa Port is the place for music lovers to be on Friday afternoon. The huge event, on the second floor of Hangar 1, is co-sponsored by radio station 88 FM and promises an impressive line-up of live performances by Boom Pam, Portrait, duo Ori Banai and Nir Friedman, Cozmo, Nadav Kadmon and Hillary Sargeant. The non-stop music will be accompanied by activities for children, costume contests and food and drink.

Friday from noon. Hangar 1, Jaffa Port. Free entry.

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