The Scarlet South Festival in the Negev

Winter paints the Negev desert green and covers it with magnificent carpets of scarlet anemones – and if that’s not an excuse for a festival, what is? This year, once again, the Scarlet South (Darom Adom) Festival to celebrate the anemone-flowering season in the northern Negev has attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country. 

Visits to the flowering sites, trips to local farms, excursions to historic locations, guided tours, bike rides and a whole host of other activities for the whole family take place throughout the month of February, transforming the area into a huge tourist attraction. 

KKL-JNF plays a central role in putting on the festival, in conjunction with other organizations including the Sdot Shikma-HaBesor Tourist Association, the Negev Development Authority, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Ministry of Agriculture. Some of the excursions, including a tour of the Beeri Forest water installations, a history walk in Ruhama Forest, the Anemone Walk and the Beeri Bicycles amid the Anemones event, are led by KKL-JNF guides. 

One of the special attractions organized by KKL-JNF during the festival, in conjunction with the OR Movement for the settlement of the Negev, makes use of characters from fairytales and legends. Together with these characters, children embark upon a wonderful journey through the northern Negev: Superteva shows them how he paints the flowers red in Shokda Forest; the South American Flower Fairy asks the children’s help to ensure that the anemones in the Ibim Recreation Area will flower on time; Robin Hood talks about courage, daring and membership of Moshav Kelahim; the Dream Fairy accompanies walkers on a bridge suspended over the Besor River; Peter Pan returns to Never-Never Land, which in this case takes the form of the Old Beeri site; Zorro tells the story of the first settlers at the Black Arrow site and Aladdin leads the youngsters as they follow his magic lamp through Lahav Forest.