Illustration by Jaimee Lee Haddad.
Ramadan seems to be Lebanon's favorite time of year, at least culturally. The streets are noticeably less busy during the day, and as the sun sets, scenes of communal iftars illustrate how much we truly love eating together in Lebanon.
Everything stays lit and open much later into the night, and there's a feeling of celebration and familiar bustle that we naturally lean into. Or as a colleague beautifully put it, it's when Lebanon reconciles with the night.
Here's where to be for its first two weekends.
What to see
Zefta Arthouse in Zifta (Nabatieh district) is opening its doors for the first time to celebrate 24 artists from southern Lebanon in its inaugural exhibition.
Here, art is used to tell stories and bring communities closer together. The 24 distinct art styles and voices merge in the middle, tied by bright imagery that always relates to nature and human connections.
Click here for more information.
What to watch
Alaa Minawi and Wajdi Khalid are planning to meet in No Man's Land this weekend, at Al-Madina Theater in Hamra.
Written and directed by Minawi, the play imagines a place that only exists as the crossing of two others.
"A place that is neither here nor there" thrives off rivals' and friends' tensions, and its borders become clearer as Minawi travels from Lebanon to Egypt to Oman and Palestine.
What to listen to
EL DHAT will celebrate each weekend of Ramadan in Saida's Hammam al-Jadeed.
The collective brings musicians from different genres on stage together and asks them to improvise, which could be a recipe for disaster, but instead ends up creating music that cannot be repeated, reconstructed or fixed.
The iconic Al-Bustan Festival is dedicating its 32nd installment to “Family & Friends.”
Its first show, set for next Tuesday, features the Khalife Trio, with Marcel on the oud, Rami on the piano and Sary on the cello, pulling you on-stage to join their family reunion.
"On stage, the Khalifeh Trio engages in a dialogue with piano and cello breathing as one, accompanied by Charbel Rouhana on oud, for moments of shared musical complicity," L'Orient Today wrote after attending its inauguration.
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