The newest effort to bring joy to locals still traumatized by the blast, “Beirut City of Life” aims to revive Beirut’s once vibrant and lively Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael neighborhoods that were destroyed in the August 4 blast.
The initiative, organized in coordination with the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs & Pastries, envisions a month full of activities and events to bring life back to the beating heart of Beirut.
Tired of mourning, organizers of the month-long initiative are on a mission to bring happiness back to the city as an homage to those who stood strong and heroic to save and restore it while the government did practically nothing.
“We wait and work all year round just for the month of December,” said Faten Attar, one of the organizers of the initiative.
“We’re all in this together to bring life and happiness back to the people and make them feel that the holiday is indeed here,” she said in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV.
The Beirut City of Life events will run from December 7th to January 3rd and include fun activities, workshops, markets, a garage sale, live concerts, arts and crafts exhibitions, and more.
In addition, fan-favorite and iconic Gemmayze restaurants will open their doors and offer discounts.
During the first week of the initiative, the winning design for the Christmas Tree of Life competition will be unveiled. Furthermore, from December 18th to January 3rd, there will be a Christmas fair and gift distribution for children.
For a while, Beirut will beat with life once again, as the city that has always refused to die, bringing some healing to its residents along the way.