For the first time in Jerusalem’s Old City, as part of the popular Tastes Festival, the gates and alleyways of the Old City will open up for five magical evenings, a gastronomical celebration of tastes, flavors and aromas. The Old City Flavors Festival, which will take place every evening from 18:00 – 23:00 from Sunday 27 March to Thursday 31 March 2011, will feature everything connected to food, including ethnic cuisine, food markets, culinary journeys, cooking workshops and more, as well as musical events and arts and crafts fairs.

Events include, among others:

·         Food markets from the time of the Second Temple, a Byzantine market in the Cardo and traditional Jewish food from the 19th century.

·         Restaurants in the city open their doors to guests with special menus and music, actors and storytellers, from gourmet meals to popular taverns with personal service provided by the local chef.

·         Culinary tours (including guiding in English) between restaurants and stories about food, quaint hidden settings where local dishes are made, including food tasting, the colorful markets in all their diversity and the aromas of spices from the East.

·         Cooking, baking and wine workshops for adults and families within the walls of the Old City.

·         A jazz bar on the walls of the Old City, with music and drink into the wee hours of the night!

The main areas of activities are the Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate, Muristan Square, the Hurva Square, the Davidson Center, the covered Cardo and the Armenian Quarter plaza, as well as various restaurants in all four quarters of the city – Armenian, Jewish, Moslem and Christian, each with its own distinctive ethnic cuisine. Some activities are free of charge, others (including the tours) include a fee.

More information from the Tourist Information Center at the Jaffa Gate (972 2 6271422) or the website www.jerusalem-oldcity.org.il