One of the first announcements made gives us a taste of what to look forward to. Franz Ferdinand will rock the crowd at Byblos on July 28 2005. With top hits that include "This fire" and "Take me out", Franz Ferdinand will certainly be a concert to look forward to.

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Franz Ferdinand's genre is referred to as art-rock. Critics hailed their 2004 self-titled debut album as a "masterpiece of funky, punky, suave cool from the first track to the last". Franz Ferdinand was the 2004 winner of the UK's coveted Mercury Music Prize.

The assassination of Hariri, the series of bombings which followed and the current political climate have complicated the logistics of the 2005 festivals. The Abba musical "Mamma Mia" was previously confirmed for the Beiteddine Festival this summer; however the show was recently postponed until 2006. The Byblos Festival organizers shifted the schedule from June to late July to accommodate the situation.

Beitteddine is expected to release their 2005 festival line-up, to be held in July and August. While unofficial, several performances have been rumored, including Indian multi-instrumentalist and one-time Beatles collaborator Ravi Shankar and legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea.

The legendary Fairuz is also rumored to perform at the Beiteddine Festival this year.

The Baalbek Festival is scheduled to take place in July and August. While no announcements have been made as of yet, organizers teased that news will be made next week for "a massive acrobatic and musical show." Is Cirque Du Soleil making its well overdue Lebanon debut?

LibanJazz is back again for the second time, and is scheduled to take place between September 2-10. Confirmed performances include the French jazz group, the Romano Sclavis Texier Trio, and upcoming female jazz vocalist sensation Nina Agossi. LibanJazz is also expected to book the classic funk Dirty Dozen Brass Band from the U.S.

The festivals make every summer one to remember in Lebanon. With the announced performances mixed in with the festive spirit following Syria’s withdrawal, 2005 could very well be the best yet.

Sources: Daily Star, BBC , Metacritic and Franz Ferdinand