Israel Events & Festivals: A Month-by-Month Calendar

Israel packs a remarkable number of festivals, cultural events and religious holidays into its calendar — and timing your trip around (or away from) them shapes prices, crowds and atmosphere. Here is the year at a glance, plus the holiday calendar to plan around.

Month-by-month highlights

Exact dates of Jewish and Christian holidays shift each year (the Jewish calendar is lunar-solar); Ramadan shifts approximately 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar — always check the year you travel.

The two big planning inputs

Tel Aviv Pride (June) is the largest Pride in the Middle East — a week of events and a vast parade. The city fills and rooms sell out months ahead, so book accommodation early (above). See our Tel Aviv nightlife guide.

Purim (late winter) brings Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square costume party — 200,000+ attendees — and Jerusalem’s Adloyada parade the following day. Club nights sell out weeks in advance. See the Purim in Israel guide for 2027 dates and logistics.

The holiday calendar drives closures and prices. Jewish holidays (Passover, the High Holidays) bring Shabbat-style shutdowns and higher rates; Christian Holy Week and Christmas pack Jerusalem and the Galilee. For a holiday-by-holiday tourist breakdown — what changes, what to book in advance, and what’s worth staying for — see our guide to traveling in Israel during Jewish holidays.

How to plan around events

• Going for an event? Book hotels and tours months ahead — these dates are the year peaks.
• Avoiding the crowds and prices? Travel the shoulder weeks either side — see best time to visit.
• Either way, read the first-time-in-Israel guide and sort your eSIM and travel insurance.

The Acco Festival (Sukkot Hol HaMoed, Akko) — Israel’s biggest fringe theatre festival, running since 1983: 300,000 visitors, 280+ performances staged inside UNESCO Old Akko’s Crusader halls and ancient courtyards, street fire theatre, and the Mango outdoor concerts. Runs every Sukkot Hol HaMoed (Sep 26–Oct 1, 2026). See the Acco Festival guide for tickets, accommodation, and logistics.

Haifa International Film Festival (October, Haifa) — Israel’s oldest film festival, running since 1983: 280+ screenings, 300,000+ attendees, international and Israeli competition tracks, and free outdoor screenings at Hadar HaCarmel square and Carmel Center. The 41st edition runs October 1–10, 2026, opening on the first day of Sukkot Hol HaMoed. See the Haifa International Film Festival guide for tickets and visiting logistics.

For a deeper look at the experience of attending Israel’s flagship live events — Meteor Festival in the Negev, Jerusalem Festival of Light, Tamar at the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv Jazz, and Eilat Chamber Music — with tickets, logistics, and what to pack, see our Israel music & arts festivals attendance guide. For the culinary festival calendar — Eat Tel Aviv (May), A Story of Food (Passover week), the Sarona Wine Festival, and the November olive oil harvest trail in the Galilee — see our Israel food festivals guide. For the Jerusalem Festival of Light specifically — walking route, photography tips, Tower of David tickets, and accommodation during the June event — see the dedicated Jerusalem Festival of Light guide. For summer concert season at Caesarea’s 2,000-year-old Roman Theatre — Israel’s most iconic outdoor venue — see the Caesarea concerts & events guide.

For spectator sports — Maccabi Tel Aviv EuroLeague basketball, the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv marathons, and Israeli Premier League football — see the spectator sports in Israel guide.