13-20 October 2011
Sukkoth is one of the three most important Jewish holidays since biblical times.  It is the holiday which celebrates the time of the harvest.  On this 7 day holiday, one is supposed to build a Sukka, which is a sort of unique tent: its roof is made of palm leaves and its walls – white sheets.  The interior is decorated by colourful paper works created by the children (or the store).  It is a custom for the whole family to eat and sleep in this Sukka throughout the holiday.  There are many other customs and traditions for this holiday, such as the four chosen symbols of nature, but we shall settle for this succinct holiday description here.

From the touristic perspective, Sukkoth is one of the most eventful holidays with many festivals and cultural events taking place all over the country (as you can see bellow).

The Acco Theatre Festival

Sukkoth Holiday, October 2011
Each year during the Sukkoth holiday, an alternative theatrical event takes place in charming Old Acco.  The city's reputation stretches out through history, and different events, such as Napoleon's attempted conquest, defined its character as an admired geographical corner of the world.  The Acco festival brings to the stage many provocative and experimental shows, mostly categorized as fringe productions (if they can be categorized at all).  The artistic directors of the festival surprise the audiences each year with intriguing young artists who offer the crowds their unexpected artistic creation and the critics usually rave.  One of the nicest elements in the festival is the great number of street performances which give the whole event an avant-garde and bizarre atmosphere.

Acco Theater Festival, Acco
For further information, try the festival's website: http://www.accofestival.co.il/home_eng.html

The Haifa Film Festival

Sukkoth Holiday, October 2011
Yet another of Sukkoth's events, the Haifa Film Festival doesn't receive half the acknowledgement it deserves, being one of the most interesting events in Israel. Starting the festival off in 1984, the Haifa film festival does not avoid controversy and gives the film industry, including its less famous but at times more talented representatives, the respect they deserve. It is a true Indie event that does not compromise its agenda to accommodate the mainstream preferences. The festival screens over 150 films during the 8 days and offers, besides the purely cinematic ones, many events and performances.

The International Film Festival of Haifa
Address: Haifa Cinematheque, Haifa
Tel: (04) 838-2001

A brand new festival was launched two years ago in Tel Aviv and is returning this October for its third year. This international dance festival will be taking place in two different venues across the city of Tel Aviv and will feature performances by no less than 12 different dance companies from around the world. The artists will be coming from various locations, including Australia, Spain, The Netherlands, France, China and more,  but will naturally include a representatives of the local dance scene, which has certainly established an international reputation for itself in the past decade. Most of the performances will be taking place at the Suzanne Dellal Centre, but some will take place in at the Performing Arts Center.

Among the performances:

Last Touch First - a joint initiative from the Netherlands. An in depth emotional exploration of six characters. 16 October, 14:00; 17 October, 21:00

For further details and tickets try: 03-5105656 http://www.suzannedellal.org.il/view_page.aspx?p=132

Realizing that gay tourism is indeed one of Tel Aviv's most precious assets, the Tel Aviv Municipality along with organizers from the local gay community have decided to mark three "gay weekends" in the city's calender (mid-October, the festive Purim holiday in winter and Tel Aviv Pride Weekend in Spring). The first of these weekends is the mid-October weekend, which seeks to take advantage of the fact that Europe is already deep in autumn while Tel Aviv is still trying to shake off the heat of summer. The organizers offer you a weekend pass that will give you a few perks and discounts at parties and bars holding special events from Thursday to Monday. Starting off with an Endless Summer Party on Thursday night, the weekend goes on with various events: a Wigstock event at the Gay Community Center in Gan Meir, Big Boys party at the Theatre club in Jaffa on Friday, city tours, a lesbian film festival in the Old Jaffa Port, Eurovision party in Evita on Sunday, and many other festivities.

For further details check out the Tel Aviv Endless Summer schedule.

Rabin Memorial Day

October 2011
This is a remembrance day for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.  For further information, click here.