5th Al Balad Music Festival to start July 26 in downtown Amman

AMMAN — The fifth edition of Al Balad Music Festival will take place in downtown Amman on July 26, with the participation of a number of young Jordanian and Arab artists. 

Held by Al Balad Theatre, this year’s festival aims to support young and aspiring artists from Jordan and beyond, the theatre’s director, Raed Asfour, said. 

“The initial idea of this festival was to support the local, cultural tourism scene. Later, it became an ongoing project,” he told reporters during a press conference held at Al Balad Theatre to announce the festival’s programme. 

He said the festival will give a “special focus” on joint Arabic performances. 

Lina Annab, the tourism minister, said Amman has been witnessing an increasingly active musical scene over the past years. 

“There are around 20 festivals held in Amman annually, and this helps to promote tourism in the Kingdom,” she said, describing the growing number of tourists coming to Jordan as “encouraging”. 

Activities will be held at both the Roman Theatre and Odeon Theatre, the organisers said. 

This year’s festival will see around 11 performances, finishing on August 2.