This public space is the hub of Tel Aviv’s cultural scene. It is a large open plaza, but you’ll see theaters, restaurants, and concert halls in every direction you look. Not only that but the Square is often used as the venue for special events. You’ll find Habima Square at the intersection of Tel Aviv’s two most important streets, Dizengoff Street and Rothschild Boulevard. It is a place to meet, to hang out, and to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere.
The Square features a sunken garden where local trees and vegetation have been planted such as lavender, almond trees, and cacti. Kids can play and you can sit while watching buskers entertain the crowds. Different parts of the Square have different atmospheres, some corners are quiet while other places are dynamic and busy. There is a peaceful water basin, benches, statues, and of course the magnificent architecture that surrounds the Square.
Pro Tip: You’ll know you’ve reached Habima Square when you see a sculpture of three giant steel discs balancing one on top of the other at an angle, and reaching upwards. This iconic sculpture was created by Menashe Kadishman, and completed in 1976. It was meant to represent the economic instability at the time.
The idea for a cultural plaza was part of the original plan for Tel Aviv, laid out by Patrick Geddes in the late 1920s. When the Habima Theater was constructed in the early 1940s, the Square was a natural continuation of the cultural space next to the theater. Slowly other cultural venues were built in the vicinity.
Pro Tip: At the time of writing, parking in the parking lot underneath the Square costs 32 ILS for 2 hours. There is an elevator directly from the parking lot to the Square.
Habima Square, as we see it today, was designed by Israeli artist Dani Karavan and completed in 2010 together with the underground parking. Several of the Square features pay homage to the early landscape of this area, such as the sandboxes where kids play that represent the dunes, and the sunken garden that represents the vegetation that once covered the ground.
Pro Tip: The name Habima means “the stage”, and it is sometimes also called “The Orchestra Plaza”.
Cultural Institutions Around Habima Square
Pro Tip: If you’re interested in architecture, and the buildings of Tel Aviv’s White City, then take a look around Habima Square where several of the structures are in the international style.
Often nothing happens at Habima Square at all. People come and go crossing the Square to get to where they’re going, locals stop to eat their lunch in the sun and then move on, and theatergoers park their cars in the underground parking beneath the Square then ascend to find their venue.
Over the last few years the plaza has been the focal point for public events such as the housing protest in 2011, the opening ceremony of the 2019 Eurovision, and in 2023-24, tens of thousands of Israelis gathered here to rally for the return of hostages.
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