Fairs and festivals in July — both large and small — dominate the Middle East, from Lebanon’s seven-decades-old Baalbeck International Festival to Egypt's first Ras El Bar Book Fair.
All that jazz: The Istanbul Jazz Festival, which marks its 25th edition this year, opened June 26 with a tribute concert to the milestones of the Turkish jazz scene. The festival takes to the parks July 7-8 with free open-air events called “Jazz in the Parks” at its usual setting on the Asian side of the city, Fenerbahce Khalkedon and the Fenerbahce Park, as well as at Beylikduzu Life Valley Park, a new venue on the European side of the city.
