City Notes: Dragon boat festival roars into White City
A catch-up from around the country.
By COMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALD2016 Midburn event(photo credit: MAAYAN FELDMAN)CENTER The Middle East will meet the Far East on May 30 at the Hayarkon Dragon Boat Festival in Tel Aviv.Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin is due to take part in the opening ceremony at the city’s Yarkon River for the colorful paddle boat races, the likes of which have traditionally been held in China for over 2,000 years.With each boat holding 10 rowers and one drummer, the event will consist of competitions in categories for women, men, children and mixed groups. In concurrence with the event co-sponsored by the Chinese embassy and Tel Aviv’s Daniel Rowing Center, a festive party will take place on the banks of the river.Registration costs NIS 1,500 per team of 11 participants and includes one training session. While all boats are currently booked, you can call (03) 699-0484 to sign up for the waiting list.For more information about registration and regulations: drc.org.il/group-activity/hayarkon-dragonfestival/? lang=en.Food festival cooking up a storm in Tel Aviv Food lovers, rejoice! One of the most celebrated gastronomic events of the year is returning in all its delicious glory to Tel Aviv.Dozens of top Israeli chefs and popular names from the country’s vast culinary scene will set up food stalls with mouthwatering offerings at the “Taste the City: Eat Tel Aviv 2017” extravaganza of edibles at Charles Clore Park, May 23 to 25.While entrance is free, cuisine-crazed festivalgoers can pay at individual stands for various dishes served on the go. Bring your appetite and try to beat the lines by arriving early to the festivities that run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day of the fair of scrumptious fare.Liberty, equality, fraternity – philosophy No fewer than 19 renowned French and German philosophers along with 80 established Israeli intellectuals are due to gather on May 25 in Tel Aviv for a nightlong event dedicated to the subject of philosophy.The annual “Night of Philosophy” event – co-organized by the French Embassy, the French Institute and the Goethe Institut in Israel – will feature various discussions, lectures, readings, panels and movie screenings at nine locations near Tel Aviv’s central Rothschild Boulevard.The event’s organizers boast this year of the notable presence of female philosophers in the lineup of participating experts, including Fabienne Brugere, Catherine Chalier, Delphine Horvilleur, Sandra Laugier, Corine Pelluchon, Gisèle Sapiro, Gila Lustiger, Joëlle Zask, Astrid von Busekist and Andrea Kern.The event is free and open to the public.SOUTH Midburn Festival making its way to the NegevIt’s back and it’s burning hot. Israel’s fourth-annual Midburn Festival, the region’s ever-popular offshoot of the Burning Man festival in Nevada, will heat up the Negev Desert from May 28 to June 2.In the spirit of Burning Man, the Midburn Festival prides itself on its unique structure in which the grounds are created, built and supplied by attendees.Thousands of people are expected to set up temporary camp in the desert near Kibbutz Sde Boker for the arid extravaganza that houses the elements of communal celebration, uninhibited self-expression, caravan camping grounds, costume-clad partygoers, interactive art compounds and music.Event organizers don’t regard Midburn as a traditional music festival – since there are no official stages. Rather, the festival is composed of hundreds of individual camps that host their own parties and activities that participants can roam through. In the center of the premises, or playa as it’s known, intricate art displays will be erected along with a massive wooden structure that will be set on fire in a sizzling display on the festival’s final night.To create a Midburn profile and purchase tickets: profile.midburn.org/en/user/login?destination=node/32.NORTH Jezreel Valley forest music fest vows to enchant More than 80 Israeli and international musical and performing artists from varying genres will take the stage next weekend at the three-day Menashe Forest Festival at Kibbutz Mishmar Ha’emek in the western Jezreel Valley.With genres ranging from rock and reggae to indie-pop and Afrobeat, the lineup for the festival taking place May 19 to 21 includes Israeli musical artists such as: R&B/soul sensations Buttering Trio featuring Esther Rada, Avgil Reggae AllStarz, Lola Marsh, Garden City Movement, Mayor, Sputnik Hi Fi, Ben Golan, JonZ & The Band, Gili Portal and Boorikitas Bros.American rapper Kosha Dillz, Chicago-based ensemble the Mark Raskow Blues Band, Brussels-based Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva and German psychedelic rock band The Roaring 420s are among the fête’s international headliners.Dance and acrobatic artists performing at the event include the likes of Vertigo, MAMA, Gravitas, Earth Dance, Re-Search Rama 2B and Circus Cabaret.Celebrating music, dance and connectivity, the festival grounds will feature two main performing stages along with various workshops, stalls and art zones.Ticket prices range from NIS 100 to NIS 350, and are available for purchase at: www.yearot.com/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=72