The stage is in the sea, the party is in Jounieh

The stage was already in the sea, facing the beach and the crowds gathering along the shore. Yachts and boats sat nearby as music carried across the water, while the lights of the setup rose above Jounieh's coastline.
From Aug. 20 to 23, the Jounieh Beer Festival is turning the public beach at Hotel Bel Azur into a four-night, free beach party, with a lineup that moves from DJs and live bands to Naji Osta, Al Walid, Guy Manoukian and Jack Sleiman.
The setting is the festival's biggest visual shift. The stage extended out from the shoreline into the water, making the beach the dance floor and giving nearby anchored boats a front-row view. In the daytime, the sea, beach and festival structures fill the waterfront. After dark, beams of light shoot upward from the stage and can be seen from across Jounieh.
For Mayor Fayssal Ephrem, the decision to move the festival here was deliberate. “This is the second year in a row we do the beer festival,” he tells the Beiruter. “We adopted this festival as a recurrent signature event in Jounieh after it proved successful and attractive.”

From the beach to the boats

The festival has been built around the idea of bringing different parts of the city together in the same space. Families show up early, and the kids bounce between games, playing foosball. On the same shore, a volleyball net gives the beach another reason to stay physically active before the evening concerts begin.
The food and drink court opens at noon each day, with beer kiosks serving local brands including Almaza and Beirut Beer, alongside food from Al Abdalla, Eddy's, and other local spots. The result is a waterfront that shifts throughout the day: children playing, people eating, groups gathering around the beer stands and the beach gradually filling ahead of the night's performances.
There is also a practical side to the operation. Parking is available at the USJ Kaslik campus and near Malak Al Tawouk by Fahed supermarket, among other areas, as the municipality and organizers prepare for the crowds moving toward the waterfront.
The scale of the setup is visible even before the music begins. The large stage, screens, lighting structures, food areas and activity spaces have transformed the beach into a temporary festival ground, with the sea remaining part of the scene rather than sitting in the background.

A different corner of Jounieh

For Ephrem, choosing this particular stretch of coast is tied to a wider plan for the city. The municipality recently took over the management and control of the public beach from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, opening the possibility of using the space for a large public event.
“It’s a unique proposition to put a stage in the water and people dancing on the beach, with yachts floating around it in the sea enjoying also the music and adding new vibes to the event,” he says.
There is also a geographic reason behind the choice. “The responsibility of the MoJ is to thrive for a balanced economy across the city hence the location there, moving southward from the city center and giving more focus to this corner of the city,” Ephrem explains. He points to the Fouad Chehab Boulevard, also known as ATCL Boulevard and the strip of restaurants along it as part of that southern stretch.
The festival therefore brings attention to a section of Jounieh that already has its own restaurants, businesses and waterfront activity, giving the area four concentrated nights of visitors.

The festival as the cherry on top

Each night has its own program. The opening evening brings a Zumba class, DJ CYS and Naji Osta. Friday moves through Asfar Musik, Ray Uno, DJ Eldo and Al Walid. Saturday brings volleyball, DJ Pera, DJ Jonathan Hawwa, Fadi Baroud and Guy Manoukian. The final night features Zumba, DJ Jix, JMLI Band and Jack Sleiman.
The format leaves room for both the daytime crowd and the late-night one. The beach starts with food, games and sports before the music takes over, with the stage becoming the visual center of the waterfront as the evening progresses.
Jounieh has long marketed itself through its waterfront, restaurants, nightlife and tourism. Ephrem sees events such as this as one piece of a larger economic strategy.
“Jounieh never ceased to consider tourism as the main pillar for its economic development, and hosting festivals is part of the plan,” he says. He points to the city's broader infrastructure and daily operations, from police patrols and street lighting to cafés, restaurants, bars and shops respecting their space on the sidewalks.
“Good festivals like the beer festival are the cherry on top of the cake and add significantly to the brand equity of Jounieh and invite new people to visit and experience Jounieh.”
For four nights, that invitation is visible from the shore, from the boulevard and from the water itself. At night, the festival stage lights up the Jounieh sky.