By COMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALDDizengoff Center’s Comikaza store (pictured) will host ComicFest(photo credit: Courtesy)NORTHThe Tourism Ministry has launched a pleasure cruise that sails between Haifa and Acre. Earlier this month, the municipalities of both cities inaugurated the line, which is expected to draw thousands of tourists a year. As part of the endeavor, the Tourism Ministry invested NIS 11 million in upgrading the ports in Haifa and Acre.The cruise line will operate seven day a week until Passover 2017. The cruise between ports takes ab out 45 minutes, and the ferries can carry up to 200 passengers per voyage.On October 10, the cruise line was launched in the presence of Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav and Acre Mayor Shimon Lankri.A one-way ticket costs NIS 30; round-trip costs NIS 55.SOUTHIndie festival to rock the Negev One of Israel’s largest indie music experiences is taking place in the Negev this weekend. The InDnegev Festival at Mitzpe Gvulot began on October 27 and will run through the 29th.The extravaganza, expected to attract some 10,000 participants, will feature more than 100 performances of Israeli musicians on five stages, as well as exhibitions, galleries, radio broadcasts and films.
This year’s lineup includes artists such as Assaf Amdursky, Riff Cohen, Ram Orion, TREE, Vegan Friendly, Garden City Movement, Totemo, Reo, System Ali & Tamer Nafar, Liraz, Buttering Trio, Tigris ft. Gili Yalo, Armon, Nechi Nech, Shalom Gad, Häxxan, Shtuby, Malox ft. Ecoh&Tito, 3421, Weinberg & Russo, Zvuloon Dub System and Haya Miler.Established in 2007, the three-day festival aims to promote independent artists, expose new artists and shed light on Israel’s indie music scene. Admission to the entire festival is NIS 350 for adults and NIS for children.Tickets can be purchased online at http://2016.indnegev.co.il/#ticketsCar, bus crash in Sderot leaves 20+ hurt More than 20 people were injured last Thursday when a car collided with a bus near Sapir College in Sderot. The driver of the car was lightly to moderately injured, and 20 bus passengers were lightly injured. The injured were provided initial treatment at the scene on Route 223 by emergency responders from United Hatzalah. Some of those hurt in the crash were taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for further treatment.CENTERPiano festival to serenade Tel Aviv More than 150 top Israeli and international pianists will serenade Tel Aviv as the city holds its annual Piano Festival, starting November 9.The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is hosting the festival, which runs until November 12. The artists will perform an array of musical styles at various venues around the city, with the largest concerts taking place at the museum. Israeli performers include David Broza, Eviatar Banai, Rami Kleinstein and Shlomi Shaban.Ticket prices and locations vary. For more information (in Hebrew), visit http://www.pianofestival.co.il.‘Smart’ transportation fest rolls into Tel Aviv From the streets of New York, Barcelona and Copenhagen, a festival on ‘smart’ transportation will make its way to Tel Aviv on November 2.Tel Aviv’s central Ben-Zion thoroughfare will be closed to vehicular traffic from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the City Motion Festival.The festival will feature experiments, demonstrations, lectures and interactive activities revolving around urban transportation.Festival attendees will also learn about the vehicles of the future, street technology and apps relevant to the field.Tel Aviv will be the first city in Israel to host the municipally partnered event. The festival is especially here, as Israel has broken the record of having the most congested roads in an OECD country, with than 2,500 vehicles per square kilometer. In addition, while Israel is renowned for its public transportation, the Central Bureau of Statistics estimates that only 10% of the country’s passenger traffic is conducted via public transportation.Tel Aviv comic book store holds Halloween bash One of the country’s flagship comic book stores in Tel Aviv will celebrate Halloween early with its ComicFest on October 28, which will take place at the Comikaza store in Dizengoff Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission to the event is free.Free comics will be distributed, the store will give special discounts, and artists will offer attendees face-painting and costume makeup.