Top 5 Purim activities for families

Check out some of the best places to celebrate in Jerusalem for families with kids.

By LOREN MINSKY/ ITRAVELJERUSALEM.COM TEAM
Purim Carnival at Mamilla 370 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Purim Carnival at Mamilla 370
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Purim is a family favorite with the opportunity to dress up and colorful parades. These are some of the best places to celebrate in Jerusalem for families with kids.
1. Purim Carnival at Mamilla
Enjoy a day of exciting Purim festivities at Mamilla Boulevard and simultaneously soak up spectacular views of the Old City. The Purim Carnival at Mamilla is free and provides entertainment for the whole family with colorful costumed characters on stilts parading all day and a show at noon in the amphitheater combining juggling, acrobatics, humor and fire juggling.
In the indoor mall above GAP, parents and kids can spend quality time together playing with thousands of Lego blocks. Those who dress up will receive magnetic pictures as memorabilia.
(02) 636-0000
Mamilla, City Center
March 8; 11:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m.
2. Purim Festivities at the Israel Museum
On Thursday, March 8, children enjoy free admission to the Israel Museum, which offers a number of Purim-inspired creative activities such as tours in costume, performances by the Mystorin Theater Group with giant puppets, an art workshop and a surprise performance.
Two anticipated highlights on both Thursday and Friday is a clown recycling workshop for ages three to nine and a zany Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at noon for ages 4-8, inspired by the exhibition The Wonderland Experience.
(02) 670-8811
Ruppin Boulevard, Givat Ram
March 8 and March 9; 10:00 a.m. till 2:30 p.m.
The All-in-One Clown Recycling Workshop: NIS 15
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: NIS 20
3. The Scrolls of Esther at the Bible Lands Museum
Photo: Avner Moriah
Photo: Avner Moriah
Families into history, art and archaeology can make a day trip out of the Bible Lands Museum this Purim. The Museum houses a magnificent collection of ancient Persian art and archaeology, as well as a new collection of beautiful illuminated scrolls of the Book of Esther by artist Avner Moriah.
Each of the three scrolls are detailed and decorated with gold, are approximately six meters in length and took about 600 hours of work to create. There a number of fun, interactive activities at the museum for children, however they will be most appreciated by those who understand Hebrew.
(02) 561-1066
25 Granot St., Museum Row, Givat Ram
March 4 till April 30
4. Ben Yehuda Street
Every year on Purim day, pedestrianized Ben Yehuda Street in town is transformed with people of all ages dressed in an array of costumes. A number of activities are on offer on Ben Yehuda and surrounding streets including Zumba dancing at Zion Square at noon. All activities are free and open to all, but don’t forget to dress up.
Ben Yehuda Street, City Center
March 9
5. Bubble Magic at the Bloomfield Science Museum
Acclaimed international bubble artist, Tom Noddy will be performing at the Science Museum over Purim, and will wow the whole family with his ability to blow bubbles of all shapes and sizes. There will be a number of Purim activities as well as bubble-related, interactive activities available for kids such as a look at the science behind bubbles, a free-play area, the chance to build bubble molds and even an experiment to see how many children can fit in a bubble. It’s recommended to phone beforehand to check on times.
(02) 654-4888
Ruppin Street, Givat Ram
March 8 til March 10
iTravelJerusalem.com is a new online international travel portal offering all the latest information on things to do, places to eat and places to stay in Jerusalem.