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ARTS & MEDIA
- Music lovers can check the different concerts, many classical, that are on almost every night. You may spend a month in Beirut and go to a different concert every night. That's why Encyclopeadia Americana noted that "Beirut, even during the war, has the most vibrant cultural life in the Middle East". When in Beirut, check with L'Orient-Le-Jour (Le Carnet) for worthy
events.
- You MUST see "Elissa, Queen of Carthage" by Caracalla.
It's dance, music and a proud history form Tyre to Carthage.
- Last August, Beiteddine in the Shouf celebrates arts through an international festival of music, dance and singing...don't miss it...next year.
- Many local festivals with pure Lebanese flavor thrive in the villages in the mountains in the Summer. Usually, the ambiance is very crowded and manytimes annoying. You can still attend a couple of those. The largest is Hrajel Festival with close to 400,000 attending the 10 nights festivities ending August 15 with the Virgin Mary Day.
- The Steps of Gemmayze Arts Festival is back. Take the steps, and witness all kinds of artwork, from painting to "crochet"
- The Hamra Street Fair is the wildest of them all where action is really a non-stop chaos. From fashion shows to heavy-metal concerts, the street is filled up with a younger crowd. The European MTV sponsors a mini-concert of noise.
- The Emigrants Festival is held in cool Dhour-Shoueir (altitude:1200m). It features higher quality traditional Lebanese music with Dabke...of course. The evening ends with the election of the most beautiful Lebanese immigrant girl. Last year, a Lebanese-Canadian girl earned the title.
The festival is held in August.
- The next issue will feature a more detailed listing of noteworthy festivals.
- "The City Theater" and "Le Theatre De Beyrouth" offer a rich programming of cultural activities. The two theaters represent the platform of serious theatrical Lebanese and foreign pieces.
- Hotel Al-Bustan in Beit-Mery, will publish its program for its annual International Music Festival. It's a very classy
event. The concerts are mostly of a very conservative type with a lot of ethnic stress. It's GOOD.
- Beirut celebrated its first International Music Festival.
Attendance was quite high(100,000). The admission was free.
Many groups from around the world showed up. The music was
western from the Gibson Brothers, and many other european
groups.
- Forum De Beyrouth is the largest indoor showcase for exhibits and concerts. It can take up to 20,000 people
seated...they say.
- With a lot of sadness we received the news from home about the fate of dozens of media outlets in Lebanon. The Lebanese
government allows now 5 TV stations to operate along 8 other radio stations.The TVs are: LBCI, MTV, Future, NBN, and TL. We should note that La Voix Du Liban(Saot Libnen)
was not allowed to operate...(Politics=headaches)
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