Maccabiah City to Turn Expo Tel Aviv Into a Family Sports Festival
For five days, Maccabiah City will run alongside the 2026 Maccabiah Games at Expo Tel Aviv, offering sports contests, a ninja zone, gaming, shows, exhibitions and family activities. For the first time since the Maccabiah was founded in 1932, the event is moving beyond stadiums and opening itself to the general public.
From July 6 to 10, visitors will be able to watch dozens of professional competitions, meet Olympic athletes, ninja stars and gamers, and let children of different ages take part in dedicated activity areas. Younger children will have a Tiny Stadium and a Kids Maccabiah, while older children and teenagers can try ninja courses, gaming zones and a range of sports. Throughout the day there will also be competitions, exhibition matches, performances and workshops.
One of the main attractions will be the Kids Maccabiah, an adventure park with inflatable courses and a Five K-style obstacle track. It will also include a 15-meter ninja course for children. The sports offering will extend to an indoor, air-conditioned sand arena with beach volleyball, footvolley and matkot events, plus 3-on-3 basketball tournaments and a climbing wall nearby. There will also be exhibition games and hands-on introductions to beach volleyball and footvolley, while ages 2 to 6 will have a separate area with a gymboree, inflatables, craft corners, giant Lego and play stations.
The program also includes the 2026 Israeli Ninja Championship, featuring Ninja Israel stars, and meetings with them and Olympic athletes. A professional table tennis arena will host exhibition matches and performances, including by online personality Roy Ping Pong. Another zone, the Gaming Arena, will feature consoles, simulators, arcade games and PlayStation, while the Sport-TECH exhibition will showcase sports, fitness and nutrition brands, gadgets and technologies. A fair will sell athletic apparel, footwear and equipment, and the site will also include crossfit, a virtual cycling competition with the Israel Cycling Association, an interactive basketball experience, a chess robot and a Maccabiah shop.
Beyond sports and gaming, visitors will find an interactive Maccabiah Museum created with the Jewish Sports Museum, ANU Museum and the Olympic Committee. It will trace Jewish sport and identity, early Maccabi clubs in Europe, Israeli Olympic achievements and sport’s role in Israeli and Jewish society. The festival will also feature circus acts, workshops in breakdancing, capoeira, Zumba, hip hop and rope jumping, “games from the past,” shaded seating, and a culinary strip with food stalls, picnic areas, vegan and gluten-free options, and air-conditioned cafés. Entry costs 49 shekels before discounts, and the site will be open Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 20:00 and Friday from 9:00 to 14:30.
