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Summer festival season is in full swing here in the nation's capital and barely a day goes by without at least a festival or two going on somewhere in the city. Case in point: the first ever Totzeret Ha'ir multidisciplinary arts festival kicked off at First Station yesterday, showcasing the best local artists have to offer - all events are open to the public and free, too! On a more somber note, the fast of 17 Tammuz on Wednesday ushered in the period of the three weeks, a period of mourning in the Hebrew calendar leading up to the 9th of Av commemorating the destruction of the two Temples and other catastrophes in Jewish history. Learn more about the ancient Temples in the most hands-on way possible with the City of David's Temple Mount Sifting Project, with a special family discount on offer during the Three Weeks. What else is on tap for this week? Read on below for our top picks.

• The newly minted "Totzeret Ha'ir" festival (July 26-28) is in full swing at First Station, featuring a wide variety of multidisciplinary performances including dance, music, theater, visual theater, object and puppet theater, video art, singing, public art, photography and more. The festival will end off with a headphone party and performance by Purple Cut.
  
  
• End off a busy week tonight at Colony and wash down the stress with sweet deals on alcohol. The restaurant-bar-lounge is offering a Happy Hour 1+1 deal every weekday (excluding Friday and Saturday), valid at the bar only (both indoor and outdoor) on drinks only. Stick around later on for a live show by Liron Ben Shimon at Colony's World Concert Series.
  
  
• There's never a dull moment at multi-level youthful nightlife venue Hatza'atzua: with nightly music, full bar, dancing and more, every night is party night. At Saturday Night Live, HaTza'atzua hosts students and friends from around the world. End off the weekend with a party on the dance floor or chill at the bar with music, drinks and snacks.
  
  
• Sift through rubble that originated in ancient buildings from the First and Second Temple Periods and learn about the findings from archaeologists and expert guides at Emek Tzurim. The City of David is offering a special family disount on the activity during The Three Weeks, a period of mourning on the Hebrew calendar for the destruction of the Temples.
  
  
• Singer Maria de barros (Senegal/USA) ends off the 2012-2013 season of Hot Jazz concerts at Gerard Bechar with a tribute to Cesaria Evora on Monday. Evora, a popular singer from Cape Verde who passed away last year, was known as "The Barefoot Diva" for performing without shoes. De Barros grew up on Evora's music and performed with her.
  
  Monday is also the first day of the five day "Babayit" (In House) Festival: A festival of theater, dance and music in the houses of Jerusalem, part of the Jerusalem Season of Culture.
  
  
• Beit Shmuel presents The Israeli Flamenco Group in a performance of Don Quixote on Tuesday in the Hirsch Theater. The new production is an Israel-Spain cooperation marking 15 years of activity for the group. COMPAS, the Israeli Flamenco Group, directed by Michal Natan will present "Don Quixote" with Flamenco dancer Jose Moro.
  
  Experience amusing illusions in art and try your hand at creating illusions: Take a peek into a room that distorts height and width, discover what happens when you cut a Mobius strip, draw a hand that turns three-dimensional, look at yourself in an infinite mirror, and create movement in a work of art. Workshops take place every Tuesday at the Israel Museum.
  
  
• COMING SOON: One of the city's most eagerly awaited summer events, the annual Jerusalem Film Festival, returns to the city for its 60th run, from July 4-13. The ten day festival organized by the Jerusalem Cinematheque kicks off on July 4 with a screening of Levi Reshef's "Hunting Elephants," (Latzud Pilim) at Sultan's Pool - click here to order tickets.
  
  

And check out our full events section for everything else happening around town.