South’s famed flower festival gets war-driven rebrand
Darom BaLev (South in the Heart) is designed as a more somber event to support local businesses and remember the fallen and the hostages.
By Yulia Karra | Courtesy Israel21C
Before October 7, 2023, the Darom Adom (“Red South”) wildflower festival was one of the biggest annual events in southern Israel, specifically in the Western Negev, where the majority of the Hamas atrocities took place over a year ago.
The festival was staged each year from mid-January until the end of February, during the anemone blooming season. It provided a major boost to local businesses, particularly those related to agriculture, drawing visitors from across Israel.
With the area ravaged beyond recognition by the terror attacks on October 7, and the subsequent war, the festival has been on an indefinite hiatus.
This year it’s back. But it’s no longer called Darom Adom because the organizers felt the original name carries way too many negative connotations.
Now it’s called Darom BaLev (“South in the Heart”) to express solidarity with the families of the hostages and victims of the terror attacks, as well as to support local business that have been hurting since the attacks.
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