Why Israel is partying like it’s 2019, while most of Asia is stuck in 2020

Tel Aviv’s famous nightclubs are getting ready to reopen thanks to a world-leading vaccination drive, giving the rest of us a glimpse of a post-Covid future

While it’s time to celebrate, the country’s remarkable success may be in part down to its experience as an ‘emergency state’ with a history of conflict

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It’s party time (nearly) at Atlanta TLV in Tel Aviv. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:00pm, 20 Mar 2021Updated: 10:22am, 21 Mar 2021

Like club-goers everywhere brought down to earth by Covid-19, Roy Fridman can’t wait to attend his next festival or rave. Unlike most revellers, Fridman, who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel, won’t have to wait long.

From Sunday, Israel’s nightclubs will reopen their doors for the first time in a year, the latest sign of the rapid return to normal the Middle Eastern country is enjoying thanks to its world-leading vaccination drive.

The return of the country’s famed nightclubs, which shut last March, comes a fortnight after authorities gave the greenlight to reopening restaurants, cafes and bars.

“The mood is amazing, it’s like Covid never happened,” said Fridman, who runs Spoons, an outdoor electronic music venue in Tel Aviv, which is often referred to as the party capital of the Middle East.

While Fridman doesn’t plan to reopen his own venue until April – in part due to the challenge of finding staff while the government pays out generous unemployment subsidies during the pandemic – he has been reliving “old feelings and memories” at bustling restaurants and bars for the past several weeks.