As the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo prepares to mark its 100th anniversary in early April 2009, a wide array of events are being planned for the centennial celebrations, including outdoor festivals, art shows, sporting events, historic exhibitions and numerous community projects, among others. Celebrations will kick-off in early April, marking the date of the city's founding 100 years ago, and continue through 2009.
Tel Aviv, the first modern Hebrew city, was founded on April 11, 1909. On that day, several dozen families gathered on the sand dunes on the beach outside Yafo to allocate plots of land for a new neighborhood they called Ahuzat Bayit, later known as Tel Aviv. The city expanded rapidly with massive waves of immigration in the 1920s and 30s, also bringing about a boon in Bauhaus-style architecture. Tel Aviv's status as the region's most creative, liberal and tolerant city received was furthered when Yafo joined the municipality in 1949. Throughout the decades, the city has flourished to become Israel’s business and cultural center and has developed a unique atmosphere fusing Mediterranean and urban elements.
"One hundred years later, the vision of our city's founders - who looked at the sand dunes and saw the potential for a vibrant city - has been realized," says Mayor Ron Huldai. "Tel Aviv-Yafo is a thriving global city that 400,000 residents are proud to call home."
Tel Aviv by night (Photo: Ministry of Tourism)
The centennial events open with a gala celebration in Rabin Square on 4 April, featuring a 360° rotating sound and light show, a concert by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Zubin Mehta, and performances by prominent vocalists and actors.
The city streets will host an International Marathon on 24 April (42k, 10k and 5k races), while the city's beaches will host spectators for the International RS:X Class European Windsurfing Championship, (10-20 June) which is expected to draw hundreds of surfers worldwide, including recent Olympic medalists.
Tel Aviv’s White Night, May 27th
All-night nostalgic celebration in tribute to old Tel Aviv
- Rothschild Boulevard returns to the past - period costumes, vintage cars, stagecoaches and more
- Song, dance and poetry from 20s-30s
- Opera, theaters, musicians to perform throughout city streets and squares
- Sunrise concert and parties on the beach
On Wednesday May 27th, Tel Aviv will hold its annual White Night. As part of the city’s centennial celebrations, this year’s White Night will be a nostalgic tribute to the early days of Tel Aviv. The White Night celebrations, with numerous events throughout the city, will begin at 21:00 and run through sunrise the following morning.
For the White Night, Rothschild Boulevard will return to the past in celebration of Tel Aviv-Yafo’s 100th birthday. Actors in period costume will mingle with the crowds who can enjoy hearing poetry being read from stagecoaches, ride an old bus and listen to storytelling, see an old-time fashion show and an exhibit of old trades as well as of vintage cars, be entertained by circuses and dance performances from that era, be photographed in an antique photo booth, among many other nostalgic touches.
Countless performances throughout town include: the Tel Aviv Opera performing old Tel Aviv songs in Gan HaHashmal, Habima and Gesher theaters performing in the newly restored Manshia Train Station, a sunrise concert with Yehudit Ravitz at the Tzuk Beach and a beach party lasting until 4:00 am at Alma Beach, an old-time café with live jazz in Bialik Square and a Dixieland jazz band playing on an open-roof traveling bus. The Nahalat Binyamin craft fair will be open until 23:00 and a midnight tour of the newly renovated Trumpeldor Street Cemetery, as well as other city tours, will be offered. Restaurants throughout town will also have special menus. Museums and galleries will stay open late, with many special exhibit openings.
- Complete list of White Night activities.
The Blue Festival in Jaffa, 17-18 June, will celebrate Mediterranean culture, music and food, with events taking place in the recently-renovated port, parks and streets of Jaffa.
Jaffa (Photo: Ministry of Tourism)
The summer highlight will take place on 16 July in Yarkon Park - the free, open-air performance of Verdi’s Requiem by the prestigious La Scala Opera House, in Israel for the first time. Other free musical happenings include the Saturday night jazz and classical music concerts in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center piazza through July and August.
Teens have fun during August with their own city-wide Teen Festival that will include pop concerts, sports activities, dance parties and other festivities.
A month-long International Art Biennale (ARTLV) will take place from September 9, showcasing contemporary works in dozens of exhibitions. Fashion Week comes to the Tel Aviv Port in October (19-22), as well as the Green Festival, a dedication of the Green Route along the Yarkon River and a centennial bike ride on 17 October.
For a complete list of centennial events, please see centennial website.
Special events celebrating the spirit of Tel Aviv-Yafo will also be held in cities around the world, such as New York, Vienna, Copenhagen and Paris, with creation of Tel Aviv beaches in Central Park and along the banks of the Seine, the Danube and Copenhagen's canals.
In preparation for the centennial celebrations, the city has also embarked on fifteen major renovation projects highlighting many of Tel Aviv-Yafo’s gems. Among the projects: The Yafo port is being rebuilt, with a new large park added to its south; the Templar neighborhood of Sarona, across from the Kirya, is being renovated and will become a new culture and entertainment area, as will the newly restored Manshia train station on the edge of Yafo; the beachfront promenade is being extended from Bat Yam to Herzliya; the cemetery on Trumpeldor Street where many city founders are buried has been restored; and new wings are being added to the Cinemateque and Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Habima Theater is undergoing massive renovations.