Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts

Jerash Festival

Since 1981, the old city of Jerash has hosted the Jerash Festival, a three week long summer program of dance, music, and theatrical performances. Inaugurated by Queen Noor Al Hussein and now part of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation cultural programmes, The festival is frequently attended by members of the royal family of Jordan and is hailed as one of the largest cultural activities in the region

The Jerash Festival showcases a wide array of singers, musical and folklore troupes, poetry readings, symphony orchestras, ballet, Shakespearean theatre, handicrafts, and art shows. The colonnaded streets, plazas, and theatres of Jerash all provide unique venues for these acts, under the balmy summer skies of central Jordan. While performances take place in the different arenas, thousands of visitors also enjoy strolling through the ancient streets and monuments of the city, shopping for handicrafts, taking in art and book exhibitions, enjoying a casual meal, or simply absorbing the powerful drama of East and West meeting in a great cultural jamboree. Skilled craftsmen and women display Bedouin rugs, jewellery, embroidery, glass, wood, metal, and ceramic objects, and also demonstrate on the spot how they create their wares.

In addition performances of the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE) were started at the hippodrome in Jerash. The show runs twice daily, at 11 AM and at 2 PM, and at 10 AM on Fridays, except Tuesdays. It features forty-five legionaries in full Armour in a display of Roman Army drill and battle tactics, ten gladiators fighting “to the death” and several Roman chariots competing in a classical seven lap race around the ancient hippodrome.

The festival has become the premiere showcase for Jordanian performing artists, and an exciting meeting place for artists and the public at large from the four corners of the world. The setting of the ancient Graeco-Roman City provides an unforgettable backdrop to this cultural jamboree, with brilliant floodlights dramatically highlighting the colonnaded streets, public plazas, temple precincts, Byzantine churches, theatres, and other ancient monuments.

The Jerash Festival takes place during a traditionally quiet season for tourism in Jordan, making it easy to book hotel rooms and air travel at attractive prices. You can easily spend a week taking in the many offerings at the festival, which all take place in the evening , while enjoying Jordan's many other attractions during the daytime hours.