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

Yarkon River

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

Paul McCartney playing a concert in 2008

Many popular musical acts have played the park, including Michael Jackson, 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, 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 there on July 3, 2017 as part of her Britney: Live in Concert. It was attended by a crowd of 60,000 people.^[4] The country even delayed their election for the new chairperson of the Israeli Labor Party. It was originally scheduled for July 3, the same day as Spears's concert, but government officials feared people would choose the Britney concert over finding a polling station, so they pushed voting back a day.^[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

External links

• Yarkon National Park at the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority
• Yarkon Park

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yarkon Park.

Coordinates: 32°5′58.62″N 34°48′40.28″E / 32.0996167°N 34.8111889°E / 32.0996167; 34.8111889