Despite security concerns and a decline in the number of Arab and Gulf tourists heading to Lebanon, prominent entertainers held a series of concerts during Eid al-Fitr in Lebanon and abroad.

Apart from two cancellations due to insufficient bookings, concerts were held on schedule and with a high turnout.

Wael Kfoury, Fares Karam and Ayman Zbib performed at a private function celebrating Eid at al-Ferdaws Restaurant in Ehden, while Nancy Ajram dazzled her audience at Casino du Liban. Myriam Fares, Ayman Zbib and Nader al-Atat brought the house down in Byblos.

Najwa Karam performed at the closing ceremony of the Ehmej Festival in Byblos on August 19th then celebrated Eid alongside Mouin Shreif on Thursday (August 23rd) at the Nabeh al-Bohsasa Restaurant in Hasbani.

Karam performed on the last day of Eid al-Fitr at al-Ferdaws Restaurant with Assi al-Hellani and child George Zgheib on August 25th.

Ramy Ayash performed at the Miss Emigrants 2012 beauty pageant at Dhour Shweir on August 11th and celebrated Eid with his fans on August 25th at the Kaslik K Room with Sarah al-Hani and Dina Hayek. The Regency Palace Hotel in Adma hosted live performances by Melhem Barakat, Nawal al-Zoghbi and Anwar Nour.

In Egypt, Carole Samaha sang at Soho Square in Sharm al-Sheikh as she waved the Egyptian flag and greeted the crowd, and sent a message of peace to Egypt and to all Arab nations.

Myriam Fares also celebrated Eid in the UAE, performing at the Dubai World Trade Centre during the Dubai Nights Festival and singing some of her best songs in the Gulf dialect. Fares also released a single from her latest album "Min Ouyouni", which is taken from the Iraqi folklore.

New releases and video clips

Pop star Ayash, who also recently performed at the Carthage International Festival in Tunisia before more than 12,000 people, recently put the final touches on the first scenes of his video clip for "Ghmorni tiish". The clip was filmed in Lebanon and Dubai and was directed by Angie Jammal.

After an absence of more than five years, Wael Kfoury released a new album by Rotana, which includes eight songs. The poet Mounir bou Assaf wrote five songs while the others were written by Rashid al-Hashim, Nada Abdul Nour and Nizar Francis.

Meanwhile, Layal Aboud is preparing to launch her new album in conjunction with releasing a video clip for one of its songs, "Ya ana", directed by Jean Richa.

Nicole Saba filmed a video clip for her song "Hafdhal ahlam" with director Philippe Asmar, choosing Lebanon's mountains as a backdrop.

Dolly Shahine teamed up with director Bakhous Alwan to film her song "Atfal al-Shawareh" in Cairo, as part of a campaign she began at the beginning of Ramadan called "Children Protection in the Arab World".

After an absence from the music scene, Pascale Sakr is back with a new duet with French singer Bernard Sauvat in a song called "La robe verte". Both artists are planning to film a video clip of the song when it is released on Arabic and international radio stations.

Hiba Tawaji returned from a successful trip to New York, where she attended a New York Film Academy workshop under the supervision of some of Broadway's most prominent directors.

The workshop included courses in Shakespearean theatre, acting for the theatre, improvisation, song performance and sound technology.

Tawaji, who received a yearlong scholarship, took private lessons with Whitney Houston's teacher, Gary Katona. She will also star in an American-Lebanese film that will be filmed in both countries. Artist Oussama Rahbani will compose music for the movie soundtrack, and Tawaji will provide vocals for the songs.

Rahbani and Tawaji are currently preparing for a September concert at the Conference Palace in Lebanon titled "Collective Memory" to celebrate the launch of "Lana wa lakum al-hayat", a book sponsored by the Gebran Tueni Foundation.