Festigal ( he, פסטיגל) is an annual Israeli song and dance musical show for children. Festigal is held every year at

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...

time, during the school vacation. It began as a song contest but the format gradually changed to include performances by well-known Israeli singers and actors. Each year's event is built around a particular theme or story.

History

The first Festigal took place in the city of

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

in 1981 and was the brainchild of impresario Miki Peled (later to be joined by his son,

Yaron Peled Yaron Peled ( he, ירון פלד, born May 23, 1969) is an Israeli producer and entrepreneur. Personal life Peled graduated from the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium and served in the Israeli air force. He is the son of Miki Peled, one of Israel's mo ...

). Since then, it has been held in venues nationwide. It is among the largest events during Hanukkah. For example, in 2006, about NIS 18 million

NIS Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to: Places * Niš, a city in Serbia * Nis, Iran, a village * Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands Businesses and organizations * Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry o ...

were allocated for the concerts."The Festigal audience never gets older"
''

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...

,'' 31 December 2006

Theme songs

From 2002 until 2015, a theme song based on a popular tune was used, such as "

Holding Out for a Hero "Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film ''Footloose''. It later featured on her sixth studio album, ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986). The track was produced by Jim S ...

" in 2005.

List of theme songs

* 2002: "

The Ketchup Song ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" – שיר הקטשופ * 2003: "Around the World" (Israeli Song) – סביב כל העולם * 2004: "

Dragostea din tei "Dragostea Din Tei" (; official English title: "Words of Love", also informally known as "Maya Hi" and "Numa Numa") is a song by Moldovan pop group O-Zone, released as the second single from their third studio album, ''DiscO-Zone'' (2004). The s ...

" – נומה נומה היי * 2005: "

" – גיבור על העולם * 2006: " The Final Countdown" – פסטיגל פנטזיה * 2007: "

Major Tom (Coming Home) "Major Tom (Coming Home)" (german: Major Tom öllig losgelöst}, 'Major Tom ompletely detached) is a song by singer Peter Schilling from his album '' Error in the System''. With a character unofficially related to "Major Tom", the protagonist of ...

" – זמן זה כוח * 2008: "

Can You Feel It Can You Feel It may refer to: Albums * ''Can You Feel It'' by Angel, 1989 * ''Can You Feel It?'' (EP) by Highlight, 2017 *''Can You Feel It'', a 1972 album by S.O.U.L. *''Can You Feel It'', a 1973 album by Lighthouse Songs * "Can You Feel It" (Th ...

" – תפוס ת'פסטיגל * 2009: "

I'm So Excited "I'm So Excited" is a song by American vocal group the Pointer Sisters. Jointly written and composed by the sisters in collaboration with Chris Christian, it was originally released in September 1982, reaching number 30 on the US ''Billboard'' ...

" – תנו ברגליים * 2010: "

The Rhythm of the Night ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" – לילה מטורף בפסטיגל * 2011: "

Mr. Saxobeat "Mr. Saxobeat" is a song by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan, released on 12 September 2010 as the second single from her debut studio album, ''Saxobeats'' (2011). The track was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, and was rec ...

" – פסטיגלi * 2012: "

Livin' la Vida Loca "Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...

" – ספיי פסטיגל * 2013: "

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

" – אקס פסטיגל * 2014: "

When the Rain Begins to Fall "When the Rain Begins to Fall" is a 1984 song written and composed by Peggy March, Michael Bradley, and Steve Wittmack, recorded by singers Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora, and released as a US single at the beginning of 1985 (In Europe in Octo ...

" – זמן משחקי הפסטיגל * 2015: "

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

"Israel: "Heroes" goes to high school as Festigal theme
/ref> – עכשיו זה היי סקול פסטיגל

Themes

From 1984, Festigal has had a different theme each year. For example, in 2010, the theme was the story of two kids lost in a museum at night with the exhibits coming to life and showing pieces of history (based on the movie ''

Night at the Museum ''Night at the Museum'' is a 2006 fantasy comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Croatian illustrator Milan Trenc. The film had an ensem ...

''). In 2015, the show had a high school theme loosely based on the '' Fame'' franchise and the TV show ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

''.

List of themes

* 1984: Channel 1 * 1985: Robots * 1986: Radio broadcasting * 1987: Saving the Garden from Demolition * 1988: The Light Kingdom * 1989: Family * 1990: Fight of the Festigal * 1991: Hanny'le and the Saturday Dress * 1992: To Be a Star * 1993: Father and Daughter at Festigal * 1994: Television * 1995: Animals * 1996: Circus – מורידים את הכוכבים מהשמיים * 1997: Amusement park – כי העולם שייך לילדים * 1998: Dreams – הבחירה של הילדים * 1999: Millennium – הפסטיגל של המילניום הבא * 2000: Toys – צעצוע של פסטיגל * 2001: Telenovela – פלאנובלה של פסטיגל * 2002: Cinematography – פסטיגל מהסרטים * 2003: World Tour – פסטיגל סובב עולם * 2004: Fairy tales – לא יאומן כי פסטיגל * 2005: Superheroes – פסטיגל גיבורי על * 2006: Fantasy – פסטיגל גיבורי הממלכה האבודה * 2007: Time travel – פסטיגל על הזמן * 2008: Underwater – תפוס ת'פסטיגל – הרפתקה במצולות * 2009: Kung fu – קונג פו פסטיגל * 2010: History – לילה מטורף בפסטיגל * 2011: Cyberspace – איי פסטיגל * 2012: Spying – ספיי פסטיגל * 2013: The Four Elements – אקס פסטיגל * 2014: The Hunger Games – משחקי הפסטיגל * 2015 and 2016: High school - היי סקול פסטיגל / היי סקול פסטיגל 2: הגמר הגדול * 2017: Urban legend – סטורי של פסטיגל * 2018: Dance – FreeStyle# פסטיגל * 2019: Cyberspace – פסטיגל Play * 2020: 40th Anniversary – פסטיגל My * 2021: Angels – פסטיגל Sky High

References