Old City festival of music

Arabic traditional musicians

Last night I went to see the music festival "Sounds of the Old City" which is spread throughout various corners of the Old City. It was crowded. Very crowded. So much so that by 9pm the police had to close off Jaffa Gate because there was simply no space to walk. No one could even get out of it ... people in front of me were turned back. When I managed to get to the barrier I saw the guard was an arab so I spoke arabic to him and he let me out. Other israelis were not happy ... but that's the privilege of knowing another language!!

Concert at Jaffa Gate was packed

The festival was a lot smaller than previous years. It sued to have 3 routes, one to the Christian Quarter, another to the Jewish Quarter and the 3rd to the Armenian Quarter. This year it was reduced to one route that passed through all 3 Quarters and even through the Suq (covered market) of the Muslim Quarter. In the Armenian Quarter the performances were more light and Sound show than just Sound show. Projectors flashed images while music was played through amplifiers ... it was mainly nostalgic traditional music from times past.

Light & sound show
at Armenian Quarter

One thing noticeable about this year's performances was the number of arabic artists. They made up almost half of the festival sites and noticeably these performances were packed with local arabs who usually shy away from Israeli festivals. It's good that the Municipality had made this change ... it's become inclusive and the arbs do not feel left out or bitter that it's an Israeli cultural conquest of the Old City. It made them belong. The Israelis on the other hand had 2 huge concerts - one at Jaffa Gate and the other at Hurva Square. Thousands literally packed the areas so much so that ... as I said earlier ... the police had to close off Jaffa Gate as there was no space to move.

I was very tired actually after work and still feeling sick ... but the fresh cool air at 14 degrees was good for me. I needed the break so I took this slow walk around, enjoying the music. I have lost my appetite these few days because my stomach is burning ... maybe I have ulcers due to the medication. But I did enjoy the evening out. Maybe I'll go out again this evening for another walk at the festival.

Nazareth, not to be outdone by Jerusalem, organized its own Old City festival. And like in previous years, the muslims in our Quarter organized an afternoon of fun at Damascus Gate. Clowns and people in costumes entertained the children. There was face-painting and spontaneous dancing and singing. It's not much but for the arabs and especially the children who will not participate in the Old City music festival, this is a great alternative.