The 7 Best Music Festivals in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 7 picks

The best music festivals in Israel are the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, InDNegev in the northern Negev, the Tamar Festival at the Dead Sea, Jacob's Ladder by the Sea of Galilee and the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival. Most are outdoors, most are in the desert or on water, and almost all of them cluster around the Jewish holidays. Seven worth planning a trip around, below.

1. Red Sea Jazz Festival — Eilat

Israel's most established international music festival, on the Red Sea shore.

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The Red Sea Jazz Festival has been running in Eilat since the late 1980s and is the country's longest-standing international music event, drawing major jazz names from the United States, Europe and Africa alongside the strong Israeli jazz scene.

The setting does a lot of the work: stages by the water at the southern tip of the country, warm nights, and a compact format where you can move between venues on foot. Israel produces a disproportionate number of internationally successful jazz musicians, and this is where you see them at home.

It has historically run as a summer edition, sometimes with a winter edition alongside it. Check the current year's programme before booking — the format has shifted over time.

Good to know: Eilat hotel prices spike around the festival. Book accommodation the moment dates are announced, not after.

Google Maps Website

2. InDNegev — Northern Negev

The independent desert festival that the Israeli music scene actually cares about.

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InDNegev is a camping festival in the northern Negev built around independent Israeli music — the bands that fill small Tel Aviv venues rather than arenas — and it has become the closest thing the country has to a scene-defining annual gathering.

The format is a few days of camping in the desert with multiple stages, and the audience skews young, local and fiercely loyal. It is the single best place to hear where Israeli indie, hip-hop and electronic music actually is in a given year, rather than where the radio thinks it is.

It runs in autumn, when the Negev cools down enough to be pleasant, and you will need a car or a lift to get there.

Good to know: Desert nights get genuinely cold even after hot days — bring a proper sleeping bag, not a festival blanket.

Google Maps Website

3. Tamar Festival — Dead Sea and Masada area

Sukkot music at the lowest place on earth, with Masada as a backdrop.

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The Tamar Festival takes place around the Dead Sea and the Masada area during the Sukkot holiday, and its selling point is location rather than genre — concerts staged in the desert, at the foot of the cliffs, and at open-air sites in the Judean Desert.

The line-up is mainstream Israeli — the big domestic names most years — and the audience is broad, from families to groups of friends making a holiday weekend of it.

Combine it with the Dead Sea itself, Masada at sunrise and Ein Gedi, all of which are within a short drive.

Good to know: Sukkot is peak domestic holiday season at the Dead Sea. Book hotels months ahead or stay in Arad and drive down.

Google Maps Website

4. Jacob's Ladder Festival — Sea of Galilee

Folk, blues and country by the Kinneret, and the friendliest festival in Israel.

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Jacob's Ladder has been running by the Sea of Galilee for decades and occupies a genuinely unusual niche: an English-language folk, blues, bluegrass and country festival, largely built by and for Israel's Anglo community, that has become a fixture for everyone.

The atmosphere is the draw — multi-generational, low-key, with camping on the lakeshore, informal jam sessions and an audience where a substantial share have been coming annually for years.

It runs a main spring weekend, historically with a smaller winter edition. If the enormous desert festivals sound like hard work, this is the alternative.

Good to know: The lakeshore camping is the whole experience — book the on-site option rather than staying in Tiberias.

Google Maps Website

5. Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival — Old City and around, Jerusalem

Sacred and devotional music from multiple traditions, staged in Jerusalem itself.

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The Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival programmes devotional music from across traditions — Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sufi and further afield — and stages it in the places that give it weight: the Tower of David, courtyards in and around the Old City, and other historic venues.

It is the most site-specific festival in the country. Hearing liturgical and mystical repertoire performed inside Jerusalem's walls is a different experience from hearing it in a concert hall, and the programming takes that seriously rather than treating it as a gimmick.

Programming has varied year to year and the festival has run under different framings; check what is scheduled for the current season.

Good to know: Old City venues mean cobblestones, steps and evening chill even in summer — bring flat shoes and a layer.

Google Maps Website

6. Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival — Abu Ghosh, Judean Hills

Choral and early music in two beautiful churches, twice a year.

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Abu Ghosh is an Arab town in the hills outside Jerusalem, best known nationally for its hummus and for this festival: choral, classical and early music performed in the Crusader-era church of the Benedictine monastery and in the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant.

The acoustics in both buildings are extraordinary and the programming leans towards Bach, Renaissance polyphony and large-scale choral works, performed by Israeli and visiting ensembles.

It has traditionally run twice a year, around Shavuot and Sukkot. It is a 25-minute drive from Jerusalem and pairs naturally with lunch in the town.

Good to know: Eat in Abu Ghosh before or after — the town's hummus restaurants are a destination in their own right.

Google Maps Website

7. The Israel Festival — Jerusalem

The country's flagship performing arts festival, with a serious music strand.

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The Israel Festival is Jerusalem's long-running international performing arts festival, spanning theatre, dance and music, and it is where visiting international artists most often appear alongside ambitious Israeli commissions.

The music programming ranges from contemporary classical and experimental work to world music and large-scale outdoor events, and it consistently books things that no commercial promoter would.

It is a city festival — ticketed venues across Jerusalem rather than a field — which makes it the easiest one on this list to attend without a car.

Good to know: Programmes go on sale well in advance and the interesting shows sell out first. Watch for the announcement rather than the festival.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

When is festival season in Israel?

There are two clusters. Spring — Pesach and the weeks after — and autumn, around Sukkot in September or October, when the weather in the desert turns bearable again. Summer festivals happen but tend to be city-based and evening-only, because daytime outdoor events in July and August are genuinely punishing.

Do festival dates change every year?

Yes, and more than you would expect. Most Israeli festivals are anchored to the Hebrew calendar rather than fixed Gregorian dates, so Sukkot and Pesach festivals move by weeks year to year. Several have also been postponed or reshaped in recent years. Always confirm the current year's dates directly before booking flights.

Can you camp at Israeli festivals?

At the desert and Galilee ones, usually yes, and it is often the intended way to attend — InDNegev and Jacob's Ladder both have camping built into the format. City festivals like the Jerusalem sacred music programme are ticketed venue events with no camping element.

Are festivals in Israel in Hebrew?

The music mostly transcends it, and the international festivals — Red Sea Jazz especially — run largely in English with international line-ups. Signage and ticketing at the smaller domestic festivals can be Hebrew-first, so a translation app is useful, but you will not be stranded.

What do tickets cost?

Roughly ₪150–₪350 for a single evening at a city festival, and ₪400–₪800 for a multi-day camping festival ticket. Desert festivals add the cost of getting there — a car is close to essential for the Negev and Arava events, since public transport does not reach most sites.

Is anything open on Shabbat?

Multi-day festivals generally run straight through, but many pause programming from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, and public transport stops entirely in that window. If you are relying on buses or trains to reach a festival, check the Friday timetable carefully — it ends far earlier than most visitors expect.

1. Red Sea Jazz Festival — Eilat

2. InDNegev — Northern Negev

3. Tamar Festival — Dead Sea and Masada area

4. Jacob's Ladder Festival — Sea of Galilee

5. Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival — Old City and around, Jerusalem

6. Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival — Abu Ghosh, Judean Hills

7. The Israel Festival — Jerusalem

Frequently asked questions

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