New Jerash festivities to include multiple Jordanian towns, cities

AMMAN — The 2019 Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts will launch in July, and will include a group of Arab pop singers and folkloric performers from many countries.

Every year, the festival encompasses Jordanians and Arab visitors celebrating local, Arab and international cultures in the ancient Greco-Roman city of Jerash.

This time, however, the organisers added a little twist to the festivities: the “Jerash Festival Lights” programme.

Every day of the 2019 Jerash festival will feature celebrations in a different Jordanian area, such as Busseira, Kufranja and Theeban.

Additionally, the “Light and Sound” theatre will be resumed.

Among the top performing artists in the festival are Wael Kfoury, Marcel Khalifa and Mohamed Mounir, in addition to Abeer Nema and Ober Alexandria, the Autostrad team, the Sultans of Syria and the Fuheis and sanctuaries of Jerusalem music groups, not to mention the 25 international bands invited to perform at the Jerash Nights festival.

Executive Director of the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts Ayman Samawi said in a statement to The Jordan Times that the events cover a diverse array of cultural programmes, including poetry contests, organised in cooperation with the Writers Association.

The events also include programmes for children and cinema shows in cooperation with the Royal Film Commission and the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and the Association of Fine Artists and Sculpture Association, he added,

“The main feature of the Jerash festival this year is the collective work to restore the local community and visitors’ confidence in the festival and boost its artistic and cultural appeal to all,” Samawi underlined.

Measures are also in place to boost comfort and security, he concluded.