The Haifa Blues Festival, set against a backdrop of trawlers, cargo ships and cranes on the docks of the city's port, has become an annual event. Unfortunately, owing to budgetary constraints and security concerns, the festival was cancelled in 1996, but optimism is expressed for an eventual revival of the tradition. Past festivals, which drew thousands from Israel and abroad, featured top artists: Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Nick Cave, John Mayall, Blur, Paul Young and Sheryl Crowe were among the international performers. Local artists included David Broza and Mashina. The 3-day yearly springtime festival, characterised by an abundance of "blues, breasts and beer" are living proof, as one visitor to this website observed, that despite prevailing misconceptions of Israel as a country plagued by terror and turmoil, "there's still room for plenty of fun in the Holyland."