Jerash festival expands beyond music in ambitious anniversary edition

JERASH, Jordan – The Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts is preparing to celebrate its 40th edition next month with its most ambitious programme to date, transforming Jordan’s famed archaeological city into a vast cultural stage that will host more than 212 artistic, literary and heritage events.

Held under the theme “A Legacy That Endures … Generations Meet,” the landmark edition will officially open on July 22, with public performances beginning the following day. Organisers say the anniversary programme reflects four decades of cultural achievement while embracing a new generation of artists and audiences.

Since its launch in the early 1980s, the festival has grown into one of the Arab world’s leading cultural gatherings, drawing performers, writers and intellectuals from across the region and beyond. This year’s edition seeks not only to celebrate that legacy but also to broaden the festival’s reach through an expanded programme spanning music, theatre, literature, heritage and family entertainment.

Festival organisers have distributed events across the ancient theatres and monuments of Jerash as well as venues in Amman, Ajloun, Balqa, Karak and Aqaba, underlining the festival’s role as a nationwide cultural platform rather than simply a music event.

A significant part of the programme will focus on literature and intellectual exchange through partnerships with the Jordanian Writers Association, the Jordanian Writers and Authors Union and Darat Al-Shu'ara. The festival will host panel discussions, literary forums and poetry evenings featuring prominent writers, critics and poets from Jordan and across the Arab world.

Among the highlights is the third Arab Narrative Forum, held under the title “Transformations of Narrative in the Third Millennium” and dedicated to renowned Jordanian novelist Hashem Ghraybeh. Another major event, “The Jordanian Narrative: Jerash as a Model”, will explore the city’s rich historical and cultural legacy.

Musically, the Southern Theatre will once again provide the centrepiece of the festival. The venue will host 11 nights of concerts, theatrical productions and large-scale performances, opening with Lebanese superstar Magida El Roumi, whose return recalls one of the festival’s most memorable appearances decades ago.

Other headline performers include George Wassouf, Ahmed Saad, Abadi Al Johar, Elissa and Tamer Hosny, while Lebanon’s internationally-acclaimed Caracalla Dance Theatre will present one of the festival’s flagship productions. The programme also features the musical theatre production “Umm Kulthum”, offering a contemporary interpretation of the life and legacy of the legendary Egyptian singer.

The Northern Theatre will host 12 performances blending contemporary and traditional music, with artists from Jordan, the Arab world and further afield. Among the leading names are internationally acclaimed trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme and singer-songwriter Marwan Khoury. Audiences will also be treated to performances by the global Phoenix troupe, known for combining fire, light and visual arts in spectacular stage productions.

Jordanian creativity will remain at the heart of the festival. The Artemis Theatre will host 31 cultural, folkloric and poetry events showcasing local talent and reflecting the diversity of Jordan’s artistic scene.

Meanwhile, the Hippodrome will stage 35 performances featuring ensembles from Italy, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Greece, South Korea, China, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, alongside participants from Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

Families and children will also have a dedicated programme featuring theatrical productions, comedy performances and interactive activities. The popular Embassies Pavilion will offer visitors an opportunity to explore the traditions, arts and heritage of participating countries.

In support of Jordanian artists, the festival will extend beyond Jerash to the capital, where 11 Jordanian cultural evenings will be held at Amman’s Roman Theatre and Odeon Theatre in collaboration with the Jordanian Artists Association.

The 40th edition will also launch the fourth Jerash Monodrama Festival, dedicated to one-person theatre productions and aimed at supporting innovative theatrical experiences and encouraging cultural dialogue between performers and audiences.

Continuing its tradition of honouring influential cultural figures, the festival will celebrate Jordanian artist Qamar Safadi as the personality of this year’s edition. Syrian actor Abdel Moneim Amayri and Lebanese actress Julia Kassar will also be honoured in recognition of their contributions to Arab arts and culture.

With broad participation from across the Arab world and an increasingly international outlook, the anniversary edition seeks to reaffirm Jerash’s position as a cultural bridge connecting past and present. Forty years after its founding, the festival continues to preserve its historic legacy while creating space for new voices to shape the future of culture and the arts.