If there’s a few things I’ve learned during my time in Tel Aviv so far, it’s that Israelis like to do three things on the weekend- eat falafel, play makot on the beach, and go out. We’re talking nightclubs, hookah bars, pub-crawls, and music festivals. And thanks the fun filled, laid-back culture of the country, this way of life is practically an inherent quality of the authentic Israel experience.Music festivals happen year round here in the Eretz. Some highlights of this year include InDnegev in Mitzpe Gvulot, a 3 day festival that recently happened in early October, Midburn in Sde Boker, a 5 day festival in May of 2016, Sunbeat, a 2 day festival in June at the Nature Reserve Jordan Park in the Northeastern Kinneret, and coming up on November 5th, the Dead Sea Rave. Some festivals have more mainstream artists performing, such as Zedd and Skrillex at the Dead Sea Rave, and others are more obscure, such as the Zorba the Buddha Festival, a 5 day camping festival in the Negev promoting a “Sensual meeting of spirituality, dance, meditation and music,” according to their website. The Doof Festival, in April on the northeastern section of the beautiful Kinneret, is a festival that boasts trance music and the top 50 international and Israeli DJ’s for a 72-hour non-stop party. When asked what to bring to an Israeli music festival, Jordan Rastegar of Aardvark Israel, a Masa Israel program, says, “Camping stove and chairs definitely come in handy, and in terms of necessities, bring sandals, toilet paper, water, alcohol, and energy drinks. That’s basically what you need. A tent and sleeping bag are a given.”Very unique crowds of people come together for these music festivals. If you think riding the bus in the morning is a diverse and cultural experience, then you haven’t seen anything yet. We’re talking hippie kabalistic 20-somethings, people who recently finished the army, gap year students, and religious Jews, Muslims, and Christians, all there to hear some good music and party with some good people. At InDnegev, Rastegar mentions his thoughts on the artists who played. “I forget some of their names, but there was a Rabbi who played the banjo; so yeah, that was cool.” For more information on these festivals, visit https://www.secrettelaviv.com/magazine/blog/toptens/festivals/
