Sat 4 July 2020 | All Day
All around Israel - Israel, Israel,

** Dates for 2021 to be confirmed **
The Maccabiah Games is the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition in the world, it brings together thousands of Jewish athletes from all over the world to compete in many different sports, athletes train for months and sometimes even years for this event. The Maccabiah takes place every four years in Israel. This year (2017) it’s the 20th Maccabiah, and it will be the biggest so far hosting over 10,000 athletes from over 80 countries! Scroll down for the top events, recommendations and Maccabiah fun facts!

Program And Sports

There are competitions in all kinds of sports! From the usual team sports like football (soccer), basketball and volleyball to exciting athletic competitions like gymnastics, equestrian and archery! Check out all the sports participating and the full program of the competition at this year’s Maccabiah games on their official website.


Special Events

Apart from the competitions, there are some big events going on during the two weeks of the games, some of them may require advanced ticket purchase, so make sure to plan ahead! Check out some event highlights of the Maccabiah Games 2017:

June 28, 19:30 – Fuckup Nights, Maccabiah Edition

5 Olympic athletes come to share their experience of failure, what happened, how, whether they came out of it and especially what they learned from it. At Workshop (Tel Aviv)


July 6, 20:00 – Opening Ceremony 

30,000 Jews from all across the globe will join together at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem to bring in the 20th Maccabiah Games!! This year’s ceremony will feature some of Israel’s biggest stars, top-notch performances and the traditional delegation march.


July 7, 12:00 – Jerusalem Street Party

Jerusalem municipality is throwing a street party on the most exciting street in the city! Everyone is welcome to join us on Ben Yehuda to mingle, relax, and eat some of the best shawarma and rugelach that the country has to offer! 


July 13, 22:30 – Maccabiah Rooftop Party

A huge party for Maccabiah participants and anyone that wants to join the celebrations! With loud music in the club and chill out music in the rooftop. The party will be at Ben Yehuda 1 (Tel Aviv).


July 14, 19:00 – Kabbalat Shabbat

Come join us at the second Maccabiah Kabbalat Shabbat event! This time, we will come together at the beautiful Tel Aviv Port to celebrate Shabbat. The Tel Aviv port is the best place to watch the sunset, so come early and come hungry!


Make The Most Out Of Your Visit!

Whether you are an athlete coming to compete in the games or just coming to cheer for your country or family member, we want you to make the most out of your trip. We have lovingly compiled a list of the best hotels and tours all around Israel, and the best restaurants, bars and things to do (including galleries, museums, beaches and more) in Tel Aviv, click on the images below to read our guides!

   
   

Become A VIP!

Want to get special discounts at top restaurants and bars? At Secret Tel Aviv we have a VIP Card that gets you discounts in many restaurants and bars all around Tel Aviv, the card is FREE for anyone who wants it, all you have to do is fill out this form and pick it up at one of our 4 pickup locations:
  • Cafe Xoho – Gordon 17
  • Abraham Hostel Bar – Levontin 21

Falling In Love With Israel?

If you are loving this country as much as we do, you should consider one of the many programs out there where you can come for a period of time to explore the country in your own way, from shorter programs for visiting and volunteering, to longer programs where you can intern at an Israeli company, and if you are sure Israel is the place for you, why not making Aliyah? Whatever it is you are thinking about, we can help you with the process! Check out our Aliyah Survival Guides to learn about life in Israel!


Share Your Best Moments With Us!

We want to hear from you! Join our Facebook Group with over 160,000 internationals living and visiting Israel and share your pictures with everyone! Click here to apply to our Facebook Group.

Don’t Miss A Thing! 

Tel Aviv is full of cool events of all kinds of all kinds, whenever you visit our lovely city make sure to check out our Events Calendar for all the events happening during your stay (concerts, parties, cultural highlights, meetups and more!), and subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter to get top recommendations directly to your inbox!


Maccabiah Fun Facts

Did you know…
  • The Maccabiah games started before the State of Israel was constituted.
  • Syria and Lebanon sent athletes to the first Maccabiah games.
  • The 18th Maccabiah was the largest sports event in the world during 2009.
  • Jordan and Leslie Schlachter, two baskeballers from the United States got married during the 17th Maccabiah.
  • Abby Hoffman, a Maccabiah gold medalist, pretended to be a boy to be able to play hockey when she was 9.
  • There are regional Maccabiah Games in different parts of the world every four years.

← Poster of the first Macabbiah ever


From all of us at Secret Tel Aviv, we wish all the participants good luck and congratulate them on taking part of this incredible event!