The mid-summer dry heat means that there’s unlikely to be any precipitation in Jerusalem this week, but when it comes to mega-festivals of the cultural variety, it’s pouring. The granddaddy of them all, Chutzot Hayotzer, starts on Monday, and a number of somewhat smaller events will also be drawing crowds, like the Wine Festival and a celebration of Brazilian film. Plus, as always, the city has a heap of other great stuff going on.
- Before you gear up your palate for a trip to the Wine Festival later this week, try out your tasting skills on some olive oil, a real local specialty. The Inbal Hotel’s heralded TerraOlivo competition holds a public tasting Thursday night.
- On Friday, head out of town and see the whole country, without blowing your whole budget on gas. Mini Israel’s guided tours offer all of Israel’s major sites shrunk down, and a visit there makes for a great day out for the whole family.
- Tu B’Av may have come and gone, but Beit Avi Chai is still in the mood for love. Saturday, they’ll host Dana Berger and Itay Pearl for a duet concert as part of their two-for-Tu B’Av series this month.
- On Sunday, check out Jerusalem Studio School’s summer classes on rendering the Old City landscape. You won’t need to draw on any prior experience to attend. Get it? Draw?
- On Monday, the festival of festivals kicks off. Chutzot Hayotzer, the international crafts fair, brings wares from around the world and the best artists and foods from around the country into one Sultan’s Pool. Israeli classic rocker Gidi Gov will be kicking off the good times, with top-draw acts like Mosh Ben Ari, Hadag Nachash and Ahinoam Nini set to headline subsequent nights.
- You won’t need a grapevine to hear about all the fun to be had at the Israel Museum’s annual Wine Festival, which opens Tuesday night in the museum campus’s sculpture garden. The event takes on a special significance this year, coming just days after the museum reopened its fully renovated doors. Here, admission fees will buy you a glass, which you can refill as many times as you’re capable.
- Wednesday is the right time for you to get down to the Museum of Islamic Art for A Summer of Watches: The Mystery of Lost Time, where themed activities for kids supplement the museum’s renowned clock-themed exhibit.
And that’s just the smallest sip of what’s happening around town this week. Check out our full events section for the whole bottle of fun events.
