Happy Birthday Tel Aviv! Today, the 11th April 2009, Tel Aviv celebrates its 100th birthday. And isn’t she looking sprightly for such an old bird!
100 hundred years ago today, some 66 families, fed up with the quality of life in nearby Yafo, gathered on the sand dunes just north of Yafo to allocate plots for the new neighbourhood known as Ahuzat Bayit, but later to be renamed Tel Aviv. The city expanded rapidly with massive waves of immigration in the 1920s and 30s, and Tel Aviv soon became known as the Middle East’s most creative, liberal and tolerant city. Tel Aviv has since flourished to become Israel’s business and cultural center with a reputation for living the good life – The City That Never Sleeps. For some more interesting Tel Aviv history, see the municipality’s website.
Tel Aviv’s 100th birthday celebrations actually kicked off with a big party in Kikar Rabin (Rabin Square) last Saturday night, which included some of Israel’s biggest performers (including Miri Mesika, Matti Caspi, Barry Sacharov (heard in the clip below), the return of much loved 90s band Monica Sex and the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta). Fireworks aplenty signalled the end of the event, but the celebrations are only just beginning.
The centenary flags are now flying all over Tel Aviv and will be flying for a few more months yet as Tel Aviv celebrates with a multitude of events. If you ever needed a reason to visit Israel, and in particular, one of the coolest cities in the world, this is the perfect time to visit!
We’ll be keeping an eye on the biggest events celebrating Tel Aviv’s 100th, which will continue over the coming nine months. The summer months look particularly busy, including Tel Aviv’s annual White Night festival and a free, open-air performance of Verdi’s Requiem by the La Scala Opera House, but if it’s some Easter-ish fun in the sun in one of the world’s coolest destinations you’re looking for, April’s Tel Aviv centenary events look like this:
- Tonight (April 11th) there is an even bigger party planned at Kikar Rabin, including some rooftop gigs from around the Square.
- The Centennial Photo will take place on April 17th (this photo opportunity is for the descendants of the 66 founding families who first drew lots for plots among the sandy dunes).
- Tribute will be paid to Tel Aviv’s first mayor Meir Dizengoff, with the unveiling of a statue outside his original home on April 23rd.
- International 42km, 10km and 5km races will be held on April 24th.
- Special celebrations are planned to celebrate Israel’s 61st Independence Day at Kikar Rabin on April 28th.
Apart from my own personal view on what Tel Aviv means to me, written a few months ago, there are some additional good reads about Tel Aviv’s 100th birthday: