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Entertainment Overview

Bars and nightspots in Tel Aviv usually open long before the night owls descend; typically, they offer either full dinners, beer and fries, or at the very least, the coffee and cake they've been serving throughout the afternoon.

Peak hours on Hayarkon Street on a Friday or Saturday night continue until about 3 AM, when things finally begin to wind down. On Allenby Street and Florentine, the clubs are still crowded at 5 AM. Partygoers are not daunted by the fact that nightspots come and go about as quickly as the tides.

Tel Aviv's thriving gay scene is part of its cosmopolitan image. Gay bars come and go even faster than other bars and restaurants, though a few seem to be standing the test of time.

Tel Aviv is Israel's cultural capital, and it fulfills this role with relish. Like New York, the city is full of people who devote their lives to the arts without necessarily getting paid for it. It's entirely likely that your waitress, taxi driver, or salesperson is also a struggling actor, painter, or musician.

The Friday editions of the English-language Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz contain extensive entertainment listings for the entire country.