About the festival

The Meridiano Festival returns to Ashdod, bringing together music, theater, art, cinema, and culinary experiences in a vibrant multicultural celebration. On stage, diverse voices rise one afte another, sometimes together, sometimes apart, each carrying a language, a memory, a rhythm, a scent, and a story of its own.

Meridiano is more than a series of performances. It is a shared space where audiences and artists meet, where familiar songs take on new meaning, and culture becomes a living, one time experience. Between the fortress and the sea, between concert halls and open squares, a continuous flow of sounds, flavors, and encounters creates a colorful cultural mosaic.

The Israeli stage features leading artists such as Shalom Hanoch with “Exit”, a special and intimate performance alongside his longtime musical partner Moshe Levy and guitarist Omri Keren. The enduring artistic connection between Hanoch and Levy, shaped through decades of shared musical creation, brings new depth, emotion, and renewed life to Hanoch’s well known songs in each live performance. The Idan Raichel Project, Shimon Buskila hosting Benjamin Bouzaglo and Hodaya, and The Revivo Project hosting Margalit Tsanani and Itzik Kala move between quiet intimacy and sweeping emotional energy. From the local stage, the festival opens outward to the international arena, hosting artists including Enrico Macias with the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra Ashdod conducted by Omer Avital, Gipsy Kings Reyes hosting Ishtar, The ABBA Tribute, Baccara & Loboda, Matilde Cid, Juan Carmona, and Pipo Romero, each bringing a unique musical heritage and contemporary voice.

At the seaside fortress, Shimon Parnass transforms the historic setting into a lively Greek tavern by the water, with live musicians and authentic bouzouki sounds brought especially from Greece, creating a warm Mediterranean celebration by the shoreline.

Alongside the concerts, the festival unfolds into additional cultural experiences. The Heart Wisdom Alliance Kol Israel Haverim art exhibition presents portraits of women from Sephardi and Mizrahi communities, revealing stories of tradition, identity, and memory. The international film program continues the dialogue between cultures through cinematic journeys from Norway, France, Spain, North Macedonia, Iran, Italy, Georgia, and Bulgaria.

At the seaside fortress, Meridiano RAVE transforms the historic setting into an open air electronic celebration, connecting sunset with sound and rhythm. The showcase stage introduces surprising new creators.

Alongside the performances for adult audiences, the Meridiano Festival expands this year with Meridiano Kids, a new concept that brings children and families into the heart of the festival through a world of imagination, music, and theater. As part of this new experience, “The Little Mermaid” will be presented as a colorful and magical stage adaptation of the beloved story, where an underwater musical adventure becomes a tale of courage, love, and the ability to choose a different path even in the face of opposition. The original songs, vibrant characters, and rich theatrical world create a funny, moving, and captivating experience for children and parents alike.

The food and arts market opens a gateway to a cross cultural culinary journey, where leading Israeli chefs reinterpret local and global flavors.

The Meridiano Festival invites you to step into a shared cultural world, to listen, taste, feel, and discover how, within one vibrant space, an entire universe of experiences comes to life.