Anta Gathering Israel (Arava Desert, Israel) 2026

Anta Gathering holds its first Israeli edition in the Arava desert from 26 to 28 November 2026, starting at midday on the Thursday. The festival began in Portugal and has built a following on a specific premise: psychedelic music and art for a small, intimate crowd rather than a scaled up site.

The Arava is the long desert valley running south from the Dead Sea to Eilat, one of the emptiest and darkest places in Israel, and the three days are staged in the open rather than in a built venue. Late November is the right month for it: daytime temperatures sit in the low twenties and the nights are cold and clear, which is why the Israeli desert festival calendar runs through the autumn and spring rather than the summer.

Tickets are sold through the festival’s own site, which carries travel information and the capacity limit. The Arava is reachable by road from Tel Aviv in around four hours and from Eilat in one, with Ramon airport near Timna the closest option. Carrying water, warm layers and shade is not optional in this landscape. For a desert psychedelic music festival, this is a Portuguese format arriving somewhere that suits it.