And for New Year's Eve.... a party!

Wow!!! 2019, 2020, 2021... Barely any whisper at all... New Year came and went and with just the smallest traces. Sure, there were a few parties here and there. And no, it was not just the pandemic. It was that horrible economic crash which took everything in its wake. But this year? You better believe it - there are end of year parties. Sure, the ads vary in terms of star wattage, and certainly no prices posted on the ads, but the mere idea that end of year parties are back - on whatever scale - is an indicator that 1) either the Lebanese market is improving slightly 2) we are the most demented people there has ever been 3) both 1 and 2 are correct.

As I said there are really some big stars, some acts to open the soiree, and again no pricing schemes for the tickets, no details about the food and alcohol (is it the usual open bar as the pre-crisis ambiance dictated or is every drop calculated?). Do note however that Hany Chaker, the Egyptian star and the former head of  the musicians' syndicate in Egypt, is at the Atlal Plaza (whereas major Lebanese stars are spread across the Gulf region) - OK this is one day prior to NYE but it still counts. 

Still, the above 4 images are just a sample of some more ads present on the streets. So yes, there are more parties indeed.

Lebanon: The dwindling end of year parties

Casino Plage Khaldeh - New Year's Eve (artwork by Tarek Chemaly)

I recently read that hotels and restaurants will not be throwing their customary New Year's Eve parties - apparently this does not make economic sense. If a singer gets a hundred thousand Dollars to sing for two hours, and with seat limitations and spacing as per the Ministry of Health recommendations (which would make it a maximum of 50% of the allotted space), the prices would not suffice to compensate for the fees. This wihtout counting that, what's between the economic crash, and the August 2020 explosion, and the Corona virus, many hotels have taken an unofficial hiatus (case in point, the Phoenicia hotel for example still has to do open since then). Now all this was a "Chronicle of a death foretold" as signs of implosion started showing since 2019 (do note that even last year, there were some sparse parties in certain hotels and even the caliber of the artists they attracted was not too mediocre to be honest), but one could only read the signs. 

So whereas usually the end of year party ads would be put anywhere from official billboards to pinned on trees across the highway or glued on any upright concrete surface, all this is non-present at this time. Now just to be clear, there are indeed local parties - Casino du Liban is hosting one, Al Atlal Plaza is hosting two, Hilton and Movenpick too. The prices vary naturally, but for those ready to part with their (real) Dollars, it goes from 200 to 650 Dollars (the stars vary from heartthrob Nassif Zaytoun, to Arab heavyweight Saber el Rouba'i - Amyan Zbib will be in 2 of the parties actually). Apparently the biggest name to join the local fray is legendary singer Georges Wassouf at the Le Royal Hotel (the news caused a mini frenzy among his local fans though doubt anyone can afford the prices).

But still, for a city that used to host hundreds upon hundreds of parties, it is without any doubt a lackluster harvest. Actually, I said this before, apparently in 1984, there was a ceasefire between East and West Beirut during New Year's Eve to allow "superstar" Ragheb Alama to move freely between two restaurants at the two parts of Beirut with whom he had a contract. Of course, it could be an urban legend, but also this is to tell you that even during the height of the war parties were still raging in Lebanon. 

But this year, to quote ABBA "no more champagne and the fireworks are through".

NYE ads: The lackluster end of a lackluster year

Well, a few years ago, hotels, clubs, cafes, restaurants would be competing as to book the biggest stars of the Lebanese artistic scene (singers, dancers, entertainers, one-man-show performers, etc...), this year the two or three ads only add to the macabre feel of the whole year. I only took one, showing Casino du Liban with two stars performing - there were as I said a couple of others, but this year (and NOT just because of COVID-19) has been a very tough year. Actually, there is an urban myth (which could probably be true) that sometime in the mid-80s factions agreed on a ceasefire on New Year's Eve to allow popular singer Raghab Alameh to cross from Western Beirut to the Eastern part because he had a contract with two restaurants on either sides of the divided city.

But as I said, 2020, was the perfect storm on Lebanon on all possible fronts.