Twenty years ago, UNESCO designated the city center of Tel Aviv as a World Heritage Site for its stunning example of white Modern Movement architecture, famously known here as Bauhaus. 

To mark that recognition, Tel Aviv has celebrated with an annual festival of parties, performances and art shows that run through the night.

White Night is called that not only because of UNESCO’s recognition of Tel Aviv’s White City architecture, but also because in Hebrew, a “white night” refers to pulling an all-nighter. This year, the festival is set to take place on Thursday, June 29, at different locations throughout the city.

In Jaffa, for example, visitors will be able to enjoy live performances at multiple locations by leading Israeli artists such as Elisha Banai, Riff Cohen and Karolina, while the eastern Tikvah neighborhood promises to be full of food, creative workshops, open houses, tours and poetry readings.

The city beachfront, meanwhile, will host multiple parties and concerts that cater to all tastes, and the Israeli Opera House will give a behind-the-scenes tour of the site. 

Also participating in the festival are the municipal libraries, which will offer magic- and witchcraft-themed events for children, as well as detective tours and star and moon telescopic observations. 

The festival will be wrapped up with yoga at the Tel Aviv Port at sunrise.

Tel Aviv City Hall advises festival-goers to come by foot or public transportation, as some roads may be closed off due to increased traffic. And unlike most other times of the year, pets are not welcome at events – barring guide dogs, of course. Thankfully, the omnipresent electric bike and scooters are also forbidden entry.