Tel Aviv Festival 2026: What Not to Miss (and What to Skip)

The short version: if you only go once, go Wednesday (4 Nov). Buy a Night Pass, wander the Tel Aviv Museum of Art galleries from 18:00, and add Shalom Hanoch's 22:15 show of songs written about this city. If you hold a DigiTel card, you pay 20% less.

The festival runs until Sunday 8 November. The opening night (1 Nov) is done, so here's what's left, night by night.

Photo: Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Our pick:

• Wednesday 4 Nov: Night Pass + Shalom Hanoch (22:15). Hanoch, his songs about Tel Aviv, a trio, about an hour, in Recanati Hall. You get four hours of galleries before it.
• Thursday 5 Nov: Night Pass + Assaf Amdursky (20:00). Thirty years since his second album, the self-titled "Assaf Amdursky" (1996), played in full. If you grew up on it, this is your night.
• Friday 6 Nov, 13:00: Boom Pam in the sculpture garden. Free. Brass, surf guitar, lunchtime. Weather permitting, and Friday might not permit (see below).

What the Tel Aviv Festival is

The city's own music-and-art festival, second year, curated by Shlomi Shaban: 40-plus shows and 80-plus artists, mostly premieres and one-off collaborations rather than greatest-hits tours. For two nights the Tel Aviv Museum of Art becomes one big venue.

Night Pass, hall shows and the DigiTel discount

• Night Pass (NIS 159) covers one evening at the museum: every gallery and the shows in them, the sculpture garden, DJ sets and the midnight screening. Both nights from 18:00, until past midnight.
• Hall shows are an add-on, and you get exactly one per Night Pass: NIS 30 to 60 (Hanoch is the top at 60).
• DigiTel holders get 20% off. On a NIS 159 pass that works out to roughly NIS 127.
• Everything sells through Ticketmaster, linked from the official festival site (Hebrew).

Photo: Lizi Shanan, PikiWiki Israel, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

The honest caveat: gallery rooms are first come, first served, and space is limited. The One-on-One Room (one artist, one audience member) runs at set times (Wed 20:30 and 22:30, Thu 20:15 and 22:15), and entry depends on the line. Get there before the start.

Wednesday 4 Nov: Hanoch or Tavori, not both

Shimi Tavori marks 50 years on stage at 20:00 with Uzi Navon as his guest. Shalom Hanoch is at 22:15. Both are hall shows, and one pass gets you one hall show. So you choose.

We'd pick Hanoch: the later slot leaves 18:00 to 22:00 for the galleries. The cost is BILTEEZ (Ester Rada, Daniel Zamir, Michael Mittal), launching at 22:00 in the sculpture garden, right against Hanoch. Tavori fans: go, then catch the galleries and BILTEEZ after.

A tip from our events page: Uzi Navon and the Experiences play Barby in Jaffa on Tuesday 3 Nov, 22:00. That's a good warm-up if you want to catch him twice in two nights.

Thursday 5 Nov: Amdursky, Nunu, and a late night

Amdursky at 20:00, Moti Roden's new album at 20:15, Nunu's second album, "Ma Hutz Mize", with the Nona choir at 22:30. CIAM's 22:15 show sold out; a second one was added at 00:30. Amdursky or Nunu? Pick by decade: if the 90s were your soundtrack, Amdursky; if you found Nunu in the last five years, her choir show is the one-off.

Friday at noon: the cheapest good hour of the festival

"Noon at the Museum" is ticketed separately (NIS 149 to 209): Messiaen at 11:00, the Matti Caspi tribute "Tithatzef Vetaane" at 12:30, Rona Kenan solo at 13:00. The free part is outside: DJ Ruti Twil at 11:00 and Boom Pam at 13:00 in the sculpture garden. The Israel Meteorological Service expects rain at times in the centre on Friday, and Boom Pam is weather-dependent, so check the festival site that morning.

Photo: Zeev Stein, PikiWiki Israel, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Sunday 8 Nov: the closing show

Rivka Michaeli revives her 1980s TV show "Siba LeMesiba" for one night at Heichal HaTarbut, 20:00, from NIS 189, with Gali Atari, Jimbo J, Yair Nitzani and more. The most mainstream night, and that's fine: it's the one to bring your parents to.

Photo: Ori Lubin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Same week, if you want more

• Strings Festival at Tzavta, Ibn Gabirol 30, through Sat 7 Nov.
• For Crying Out Loud, live art around Old Jaffa, 5 to 7 Nov.

What to skip

• Driving. The museum and Golda car parks fill up on festival nights, and the festival itself asks you to come by public transport or bike. The Red Line's Shaul HaMelech station is a short walk.
• Spending your one hall show on a maybe. You only get one per pass. If nothing in the halls grabs you that night, skip the add-on and give the evening to the galleries.
• The after-party (Fri 22:00, NIS 139), if you need step-free access. It's in the Beit Radical basement, the one festival venue that isn't accessible. If you need help, contact the production team.

Practical info

• Dates: Wed 4 and Thu 5 Nov (Night Pass evenings), Fri 6 Nov (noon shows and after-party), Sun 8 Nov (closing show).
• Where: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Shaul HaMelech Blvd 27. Closing show at Heichal HaTarbut. After-party at Beit Radical.
• Prices: Night Pass NIS 159, plus one hall show at NIS 30 to 60. Friday noon shows NIS 149 to 209. After-party NIS 139. Closing show from NIS 189. DigiTel 20% off.
• Getting there: Red Line to Shaul HaMelech, or bike. Staying for the midnight screening? Check the last train first.
• Accessibility: all venues are accessible except Beit Radical. Details on the festival info page.
• No DigiTel yet? Our How do I answers cover the DigiTel signup.

FAQ

When is the Tel Aviv Festival 2026? 1 to 8 November 2026. The remaining dates are Wednesday 4, Thursday 5, Friday 6 and Sunday 8 November.

How much is the Tel Aviv Festival Night Pass? NIS 159 per evening, or roughly NIS 127 with the DigiTel 20% discount. Hall shows cost NIS 30 to 60 on top.

Can I see two hall shows with one Night Pass? No. You can add exactly one hall show to each Night Pass. To come both nights, buy a separate pass for each night.

Are there free events at the Tel Aviv Festival? Yes. On Friday 6 November, DJ Ruti Twil (11:00) and Boom Pam (13:00) play the museum's sculpture garden for free. Boom Pam depends on the weather.

---

Want to see what else is on tonight, festival or not? Check Tel Aviv events on tlv.life. Updated regularly.