The Israel Festival will celebrate its 65th anniversary this summer with a monthlong program of original performances exploring themes of resilience, coexistence and the search for a shared future, organizers announced.
Running from July 28 through August 20, the festival will present dozens of productions in Jerusalem, as well as events in the Western Negev and northern Israel, bringing together hundreds of artists, musicians, dancers and cultural figures at a time organizers say public spaces for dialogue remain especially important.
Opening the festival is Held By a String, a large-scale aerial performance suspended above Jerusalem's Gei Ben Hinnom Valley. The production revisits a memorable moment from the 1987 festival, when famed French high-wire artist Philippe Petit crossed the valley on a tightrope. This year's performance features four highline artists walking simultaneously between East and West Jerusalem, accompanied by the Jerusalem East and West Orchestra and the Jerusalem Youth Choir.
Festival CEO Ori Vaknin said the event aims to provide a space for artistic creation amid years dominated by crisis.
"The Israel Festival is first and foremost a live meeting between artists, creators and audiences," Vaknin said. "Its very existence cannot be taken for granted today. Continuing to create and gather is itself an expression of our commitment to one another."
Artistic directors Michal Vaknin and Dafna Kron said this year's program examines the idea of "tomorrow" through works that step back from the immediacy of current events while remaining rooted in Israel's social reality.
"Our program is built on art as a survival tool and as an invitation to activate a shared imagination," they said. "Rather than imagining that everything will simply be fine, we wanted to open possibilities for action."
Among the festival's marquee productions is Hip-Hop Talpiot, which pairs producer Tamir Muskat, the Jerusalem Street Orchestra and leading Israeli hip-hop artists.
Several productions directly engage with Israel's current social and political realities. VERSE, created in partnership with the Aner Shapiro Association, combines performances, discussions and public art inspired by the legacy of Aner Shapiro, who was killed while saving others during the October 7 massacure.
At Kibbutz Nir Oz, former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen will perform publicly for the first time nine songs
(Design: Yael Yaacobi, Yuval Shavit)
Another project, Drishat Shalom 2026, pays tribute to late graphic designer David Tartakover by inviting artists, writers and members of the public to create postcards reflecting on the idea of peace. Meanwhile, Temporarily Removed offers guided tours through absent international productions that were canceled amid the ongoing cultural isolation facing Israel.
One of the festival's most anticipated events will take place outside Jerusalem. At Kibbutz Nir Oz, former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen will perform publicly for the first time nine songs he composed and memorized during his 498 days in Hamas captivity. The performance, held on the kibbutz lawn where he grew up, will combine music with personal stories and guest appearances by fellow musicians and former captives. Proceeds will benefit organizations supporting bereaved families.
The anonymous bodies of the 'extras'
(Photo: Yair Meyuhas)
Other productions include Peter Is Leaving, an artificial intelligence-driven theatrical adaptation inspired by Franz Kafka; Nitzavim, a darkly comic work about film "extras" repeatedly cast in death scenes; The Thinking Heart, inspired by the wartime diaries of Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum; and As One, an immersive participatory performance examining collective action and social solidarity.
Many events will be staged outdoors or in public spaces, continuing the festival's recent emphasis on making art more accessible. Organizers also said the festival will maintain its social ticketing policy, with several free performances and paid events priced between 50 and 140 shekels.
Founded in 1961, the Israel Festival has become one of the country's premier multidisciplinary arts events. This year's edition seeks not only to celebrate that legacy, organizers said, but also to reaffirm the role of culture in a society grappling with war, recovery and an uncertain future.