Yarkon Park
| Yarkon Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Area | 3,500 dunams |
| Created | 1973 |
| Operated by | Tel Aviv municipality |
| Visitors | 16 million |
| Status | Open all year |
- This article is about the public park near the mouth of the Yarkon River. For the Yarkon National Park at the springs of the Yarkon River see Antipatris
Yarkon Park (Hebrew: פארק הירקון, Park HaYarkon) is a large park in Tel Aviv, Israel, with about sixteen million visits annually.[1] Named after the Yarkon River which flows through it, the park includes extensive lawns, sports facilities, botanical gardens, an aviary, a water park, two outdoor concert venues and lakes.
History
Planning of the park began in 1969. When it was opened to the public in 1973, it was called Ganei Yehoshua, honoring Yehoshua Rabinovich, the mayor of Tel Aviv between 1969–1974.[2]
Landmarks
The park has six gardens: Gan HaBanim (Fallen Soldiers Memorial Garden), Gan Nifga'ei HaTeror (Terror Victims Memorial Garden), Gan HaSlaim (Rock Garden), Gan HaKaktusim (Cactus Garden), Gan HaGazum (Trimmed Garden), and Gan HaTropi (Tropical Garden).
The Rock Garden, one of the largest of its kind in the world, reflects Israel's geological diversity. In its 10-acre enclosure the rocks are interspersed with some 3,500 species of plants, including over six acres of cacti. The five-acre Tropical Garden has a wooden walkway shaded by palm trees leading to a small lake. The rainforest-like microclimate supports a large variety of orchids and vines.
The Yarkon River runs through the park and reaches the Mediterranean Sea at the park's western edge, then connects into the Tel Aviv Port, an entertainment and tourism center. Despite clean-up efforts in the last few years, the river is still polluted. Despite its polluted waters, on July 2011 Tel Aviv's mayor, Ron Huldai, jumped into the water and swam in the lake. Nevertheless, the region has retained its biodiversity. It is home to an abundance of insects, water fowl, golden jackals, porcupines and mongoose.[3]
Events
Many popular musical acts have played the park, including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, David Bowie, Carlos Santana, Dire Straits, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Aerosmith, Metallica, U2, Depeche Mode, Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ugly Kid Joe, Linkin Park, Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Cocker, Morrissey, Eurythmics, Westlife, Five, Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams, Rihanna, Sia, OneRepublic, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rod Stewart, Queen + Adam Lambert and Britney Spears.
American singer Britney Spears performed in the park on July 3, 2017 as part of her Britney: Live in Concert. It was attended by a crowd of 60,000 people.[4] Due to the concert, the Israeli Labor Party delayed their election for a new chairperson by a day. It was originally scheduled for July 3, the same day as Spears's concert, but party officials feared traffic jams and that party members would choose the concert over finding a polling station.[5]
The superstar Michael Jackson performed there, on September 19/21 1993 during his Dangerous World Tour attended by a crowd of 80,000 people in the first show and 100,000 people in the second show.
Italian opera house La Scala performed a free outdoor concert of Verdi's Requiem in the park as a part of Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary celebrations, attracting about 100,000 people.[6]
Concerts
See also
- Biodiversity in Israel
- List of national parks and nature reserves of Israel
- Tourism in Israel
- National Sport Center – Tel Aviv
References
- ^ Park Hayarkon – the Central Park of Tel Aviv
- ^ Changing pollution into paradise
- ^ At Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park, they're sweating the small stuff
- ^ News, All-Noise. "Watch Britney Spears Performing In Tel Aviv for 60K Crowd".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Oops! Britney Spears gig forces Israeli Labour party to delay leadership contest". The Guardian. 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Opera Celebrates Tel Aviv's centennial". Entertainment News. 17 July 2009.
- ^ News, The Independent. "First Night: Sir Paul McCartney, Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Israel National News. "Justin Bieber: Very excited to visit Israel for the second time".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, The Time of Israel. "Red Hot Chili Peppers give it away to 50,000 at Tel Aviv show".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, The Times of Israel. "40,000 Israelis let pop star Robbie Williams entertain them".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Ynews Culture. "Is One Republic returning to Israel?".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News. "Empathetic Jon Bon Jovi dedicates song 'We Don't Run' to Israelfirst=The Time of Israel".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Ynetnews. "Queen rocks it out in Tel Aviv".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Haaretz. "Sia's Electronic Rain Beautifully Pierces Tel Aviv's Humidity".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Pollstar. "Top 100 Worldwide Concert Grosses" (PDF).
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, ISRAEL21c. "Steven Tyler tours Israel ahead of farewell tour in TLV".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ News, Ynetnews. "Rod Stewart duets with Israeli singer Rita in Tel Aviv concert".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, All-Noise. "Watch Britney Spears Performing In Tel Aviv for 60K Crowd".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Direct Lyrics. "Massive: Britney Spears Performs For 60K Crowd In Tel Aviv, Israel".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Times of Israel. "Britney Spears performs for 55,000 fans in Israel".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
External links
