Grateful Dead Gathering brings mini-Woodstock to Arava oasis for three-day festival

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 15:54Updated: SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 17:40An oasis in the Arava will turn into a mini-Woodstock next weekend when the Grateful Dead Gathering takes over the Khan Gamalia at Ein Yahav for a three-day music festival, September 17-19 (Thursday-Saturday).For over 15 years, on and off, Deadheads and fans of jam bands have gathered at the campsite to celebrate the music of the San Francisco band and the next-generation jam bands they spawned.This year, along with finely curated DJ sets featuring the best, weirdest, and most esoteric of the San Francisco legends, there will be 10 live bands, including The Hardest Daze, one of Israel’s premier Dead tribute bands.Another highlight is The Rusties, a tight, rocking tribute to Neil Young and his music.The other bands offer original psychedelic music inspired by the more adventurous side of the Dead.A volunteer with the Israeli Antique Authority holds a securing rope as he walks down to enter the Cave of the Skulls, an excavation site in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, Israel June 1, 2016. (credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)The festival will feature a kabalat ShabbatFeaturing a kabbalat Shabbat, a communal Shabbat dinner, and an inviting complex including a refreshing pool, the festival’s main attraction will be the hundreds of smiling, colorful Deadheads, both native Israelis and transplanted Americans.Tickets can be purchased for all or any of the days, and the Shabbat-observant can stay on site until the end of Shabbat.Follow us on Google