Hamra Festival Day 2
The second day of the Hamra festival was kind of fun, but could have definitely been better.
There were three stages, and a lot of stands. It was some sort of bazar, with the occasional arcade stand and another game stand. Again, it was definitely cool to walk around Hamra, and it was very crowded. The people were mostly parents bringing their kids, and teenagers. The festival was definitely not trying to target the parents or older people. The music appeals to the younger generations, and some games for the kids. Maybe some of the stands could appeal to the older ones, but still it wasn’t enough in my opinion. Another thing that would’ve been nice to see is if there were some sort of festival special prices. There were some things I wanted to get, but they were actually too expensive. I understand that there may be a percentage of the sales revenues that has to go to the organizers for giving you a stand, but it’s still a festival, a special occasion. Most people are not there to shop, but they are more likely to get into some impulse buys if the prices were more encouraging. At least that’s what it was like for me.
LiHamra2i.com stand
I only took pictures of the stands I enjoyed. The “Li Hamra2i” had amazing paintings of Hamra. It promotes the book “لكم حمراؤك و لي حمرائي” (You have your Hamra and I have mine). Check out their website, it’s cool.
Photography by Mazen Jannoun
There were also displays of photography by Mazen Jannoun. They were nice to look at, as they seem to be taken spontaneously, all around Hamra.
Cool t-shirts!
This was one of the best stands. The people there are cool, and they are selling some funny tshirts. I got myself an “I heart Hamra” one.
Cocoa & Co stand http://www.cocoa-and-co.com
Cocoa and Co had an awesome and colorful stand. They have the most amazing brownies (in the boxes). I hate brownies, and a friend once got those to work, and everyone went crazy for them. Seriously, you have got to try them.
JLP
I attended some of the concerts. JLP were the best for me, and I enjoyed the songs they played. I think they even had a larger crowd than the other performances I was able to see.
Michelle, Nokia X3 winner, and JLP
They also offered free Nokia X3 phones to anyone who was willing to go on stage and sing with them, a song of the person’s own choice. This was an awesome opportunity to the few willing to do that. The first volunteer was seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY excellent. She definitely deserved the phone. So were the two other girls who came up. However, what everyone around me said was that these very talented ladies were in a band. If that is the case, although that wouldn’t mean that they shouldn’t have gone up there, I wish more chances were given to those people who wanted to go up and sing, and were not picked to do so (such as @DinaMyColors who actually can sing decently). Plus, even if someone came up to sing and was awful at it, they’d earn the phone by embarrassing themselves.
All in all, it was fun. I hate sounding too negative, but this was my experience and I thought there was room for improvement. I am still going to try to go tomorrow as well, I enjoy outdoor concerts, crowds, Hamra and walking around. If you can pass by and you haven’t already, then you should because it was pretty okay, but don’t feel too bad if you are unable to.
Hamra Festival Parade
We do love Hamra!
Walk Walk Walk! Camera and instructions credit to @DinaMyColors, while the photo was my attempt 😉
Which is more exciting, making Hamra a pedestrian street for three days, or the festival? Answering this question is difficult. For all the people who love Hamra, driving there is a challenge due to traffic. Having the ability to walk around in the middle of the street with no cars in sight was amazing. The first day of the festival was just as good.
It was kind of disappointing to see that the first day was so short, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Security was also everywhere.
Volta Ao Mundo - Capoeira performance
The parade included Capoeira performace by Volta Ao Mundo association (found on FB here, Capoeira Lebanon site), which a lot of people seemed to enjoy. Many even said that they thought they were the best. It’s basically Brazilian art that combines martial arts, dance, and catchy music.
After that came a small group of the AUB Music club, followed by some young people who were wearing white tshirts with “Breathe” written in Green. Unfortunately, I was not able to find out who they were, but they were making noise and screaming “Wel3aneh!” non stop.
AUB music club
Tamashi Japanese restaurant had a huge truck with lots of people on board. All of them were wearing kimonos, and partaking in several activities related to Japanese culture. Fortune cookies were being distributed, minus the cookies. Mine said “Don’t let your daughter-in-law eat your autumn eggplants / Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of”.
Tamashi Japanese Restaurant, http://www.tamashii.me
Scouts performances followed, in addition to a fabulous mime who kept imitating everyone and joining the crowds. Animals Lebanon were also present, giving out flyers regarding Trap-Neuter-Return program, which aims to decrease the overpopulation of animals in Lebanon, in a healthy and safe manner, of course.
Scouts, and the mime!
The final show I witnessed was the motor bike one, the one and only Harley Davidson show (#AkhYaAlbeh, yes), which was amazing and included some hardcore bikes. Mickey Mouse even got to ride one, which I wish I could prove in photos. The parts I unfortunately missed included some sort of a wedding/zaffe, in addition to a showing of a lot of beetle cars.
Lots and lots of bikes
Mickey Mouse, running to the good stuff!
People watching the fireworks
At the end, people kept walking around Hamra street, while fireworks went off. We have witnessed time and time again the negative consequences of fireworks, and many people are not fans of the sounds, but this was one to enjoy.
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