In the month of April, Tel Aviv leaves behind the last days of rain and cold weather and starts picking up the pace towards spring and summer events

Passover

19-25 April 2011
Passover is one of the most important holidays in Israel and one of the longest holidays too, which makes it a favorite with everyone.  This holiday is intended to commemorate the time in which the Jewish people fled Egypt and made their way through the desert to the land of Israel.  It is the holiday of liberty, celebrating the move from bondage to freedom.

On the first eve of the holiday you can expect almost everything to be closed, since it is a very family oriented holiday, though some restaurants do remain open to offer an option for tourists and such.  After the holiday feast is over (though it takes at least four hours!) there are usually quite a few parties around town to celebrate the spirit of liberation.

During the 7 days of the holiday no one is supposed to eat any bread, only Matzo is allowed in memory of the haste in which the Jewish people had to flee Egypt. This means that all grocery stores will not offer any bread and other bread related items (pasta, sometimes rice and many other surprising items).  Many restaurants close for the holiday, while others give up the bread or give Matzo instead.  But plenty of restaurants in Tel Aviv don't abide to these municipal regulations and continue serving bread and pasta as they have before.

Besides these restrictions, Passover is an excellent holiday with very good weather, a wide variety of events and high spirits all around. Be warned though that the prices, especially for accommodation, go sky high at this time of year....

Teatroneto Theatre Festival

April 2011
The Teatroneto theatre festival focuses on monologues, which is in a sense the rawest form of theatre.  This idea is part of what lead to the festival's name – "teatron-neto"(which means "theater-net", refering to the antonym of "gross").  Some of the finest actors in Israel have performed on the festival's stage and have managed to promote the difficult form of monologue in Israeli theatre. Traditionally the festival used to take place in Habima theatre and includes only Israeli plays, but has moved to the alleys of Old Jaffa.

Mimoona

25 April 2011
At the very end of Passover there is the traditional North African holiday – the Mimoona.  The main idea of the holiday is hospitality.  People make large amounts of North African (especially Moroccan) food on the night of the Mimoona, the doors of the houses are left open and everybody is welcome to join in on the celebration. 
On the next day (the day of the Mimoona itself) it is customary to continue the celebrations with an outdoor Barbeque (as is customary also on Independence Day), and again any people passing by might get a piece of Kebab offered to them.  The Mimoona is a lively and "stranger friendly" celebration, and some of the sweet pastries made on its eve are simply out of this world.

The Tel Aviv Marathon

April 2011
Following in the "Forest Gump" tradition and featuring a five, ten and twenty one kilometer race, the Tel Aviv Marathon offers amateur athletes a chance to exhibit their skills and even receive a prize, if they are in one of the first six places. Registration is now open only in case of cancellation.