Tel Aviv is undoubtedly the social hub of Israel and its range of entertainment, from highbrow to hip, cannot be matched anywhere else. The sheer dynamism and determination of Tel Aviv makes the place seem vastly bigger than it really is. In fact, it is smaller in area than Haifa or Jerusalem, but with over one-third of Israel’s population residing in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, round-the-clock entertainment and sheer vigour is guaranteed. As the Israeli saying goes, ‘Jerusalem prays and Tel Aviv plays’.

Nightlife

Clubs and pubs come and go fast, with famous names disappearing overnight. Most bars are usually open and licensed until 04:00, while clubs will keep their doors open until 07:00. As a rule of thumb, most clubs in the city will not start warming up until after 02:00 and not peak until 04:00. Allenby Street is the central spot for bars and clubs, with more than 20 clubs within one small area, offering house, funk, disco and techno.

The scene here looks like Amsterdam, with a very international crowd keeping very late hours. As in most cosmopolitan cities, the dress code varies from one club to another; however, in Tel Aviv, casual wear is acceptable in most places. Plenty of venues offer cabaret as well as rock, jazz and folk music.

The Camelot Bar is stylish and famous for great live jazz and rock by Israeli bands.  M.A.S.H., on Dizengoff Street, is a favourite English hangout for a drink and a burger, while the sports bar, Wrigley, on Hayarkon Street, is popular with Americans. Joey’s Brothers Bar is an English pub, complete with English beer and English customers, but for something more authentically Israeli, brace yourself for the decibels at My Coffee Shop, a hectic, fashionable all-day and all-night music bar.

Theatre and music

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in Tel Aviv by Jewish settlers as the Palestine Orchestra in 1936, in the midst of anti-Jewish violence. Many leading European musicians dismissed from their jobs due to the rise of Nazism fled to Israel and found positions with the Philharmonic. The orchestra, now considered one of the world’s best, gives more than 150 performances each year and is today, housed at the main music hall, Frederic Mann Auditorium. Phone: +972 3 629 5092; website: www.ipo.co.il.

Theatre in Israel continues to thrive and productions at the Cameri Theatre (phone: +972 3 527 9888; website: www.cameri.co.il) and the Habima National Theatre of Israel (phone: +972 3 629 6071; website: www.habima.org.il) are impressive. About 60 of Israel’s leading actors form the Cameri Theatre’s permanent company, which puts on a diverse selection of original Israeli creations, selected world classics and contemporary dramas.

The company annually stages 10 to 14 new productions, attracting a wide audience in addition to its 27,000 subscribers. The Habima Theatre was founded in 1917, and today, it stages 15 productions per season. Touring widely, the company has performed at major drama festivals including those in Paris, London and Berlin.

Festivals

All Jewish religious festivals and holidays are 24 hours long, starting the previous evening and ending at nightfall the next day. Jewish religious festivals often fall on a different date every year. A perpetually fun city, Tel Aviv also has all sorts of annual events that celebrate everything from food to Irish culture, to jazz.

• Love Parade: this annual event is the only street party of its kind in the Middle East, attracting thousands of party revelers, who gather to join the street and beach parties. Modelled on the Berlin Love Parade, the event is also a demonstration of love, peace, tolerance and freedom through music. A string of floats, each with their own sound system, along with the best local and international DJs, shake with dancing and the latest techno music, while the streets are packed with the dancing throng.
• Taam Hair (Food Festival): for the past 10 years in May, a grand food festival has taken place in the Ganai Yehoshua area, arranged by Tel Aviv’s leading local newspaper, Haair, and the city’s municipality. At this festival, many of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv offer an endless number of small and rather cheap portions, so people can stroll around from one booth to the next and enjoy a wide variety of specialties from different kinds of cuisines and chefs. The event is extremely popular, attracting many people from all over Israel. Taam Hair is a very memorable and tasty event, though quite chaotic at times. 
• The Israel Festival: from late May to mid-June each year, a selection of performances from all over the world in the different fields of art are shown throughout the country at a variety of locations. Many celebrated Israeli and international art performances are brought to Israel to appear at the Jerusalem Theatre, Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, or the beautiful amphitheatre in Caesarea. The performances are very diverse, offering anything from a grand Chinese opera to a small experimental theatre show from Paris. Website: www.israel-festival.org.il.