Held under Royal Patronage, the 40th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts officially opens on Wednesday.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the festival’s management said that more than 220 cultural and artistic events will begin on Thursday and continue through August 2.
The opening ceremony will take place at the North Theatre in the ancient city of Jerash. Minister of Culture Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh, who chairs the festival’s Higher Committee, will deliver the official opening address, while Mohammad Bani Yaseen, head of the Greater Jerash Municipality Committee, will speak on behalf of the local community.
To mark the festival’s 40th anniversary, organizers have prepared a special opening performance celebrating the evolution of Jordanian music—from its folk and traditional roots, through independent and alternative music, to contemporary works that have brought Jordanian artists to regional and international stages.
The production combines live musical performances, an orchestra, choir, visual projections, and advanced lighting effects to present an artistic journey showcasing four decades of Jordanian creativity.
The performance is divided into five chapters, beginning with memory and heritage, tracing the development of Jordanian music, highlighting its regional and international presence, and concluding with a special 40th anniversary song followed by the lighting of the Jerash Festival flame, an annual tradition symbolizing the festival’s enduring cultural mission and Jordan’s prominent place on the Arab cultural scene.
The opening show will feature a distinguished lineup of Jordanian artists representing different generations of the country’s music, including Omar Al-Abdallat, Hussein Al Salman, Aziz Maraka, Nidaa Sharara, and Issam Alnajjar.
