The Secret Love Affair of Europe and Asia
Come and discover it at the 6th Annual Turkish Festival, Celebrating Turkish Dance, Music, Arts, and Cuisine
Washington, DC—The American-Turkish Association of Washington DC (ATA-DC) is pleased to present a day-long free fun-filled must-see family festival celebrating authentic Turkish art and culture at the 6th Annual Turkish Festival on Sunday, October 5, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Freedom Plaza and on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 13th and 14th Streets. The main sponsor of the festival is The Turkish Cultural Foundation.
The Turkish Festival’s highlights include a rich variety of live Turkish musical and folk dance performances underscoring Turkey’s unique ties with the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucuses and Central Asia. Performances will offer an exceptional glimpse of Turkic life, culture, and art in the region. The Festival will also feature a Kids’ Tent to present Turkish culture with hands-on activities and offer the kids and their parents the opportunity to create unforgettable memories. Children and parents from all backgrounds will spend great time together and learn historical facts. Artwork by the finalists of our International Kids’ Art Contest will be exhibited at the Kids’ Tent throughout the day and the festival visitors will select the “Most Popular Artwork”.
The Culture and Tourism Tent will host a variety of interesting aspects of Turkey. The array of events will include exhibitions as well as demonstrations of Turkish arts by artists such as Mehmet Gursoy, Fazilet Inal and guest speakers such as Dr. Bulent Atalay, Sheilah Kaufman, Isik Soyturk who will share their experiences, memories and knowledge of Turkey.
Festivalgoers can also taste delicious Turkish cuisine from the area’s Turkish restaurants. Kabobs, vegetarian dishes, pastries and desserts will be available for purchase. Fortune-tellers will be reading fortunes from coffee grinds in the special coffee house and more than 20 arts and crafts vendors will showcase Turkish jewelry, hand-woven textiles and pottery.
The Turkish Festival hopes that all the visitors will have a fun, cheerful day while enjoying Turkey’s exceptional cultural and historical traditions.
Admission to the Festival is FREE. Parking is available on side streets. Metro stop is Federal Triangle, then go north on 12th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
For more information, a complete schedule of activities, and sponsor information, visit the Festival website at www.turkishfestival.org
About ATA-DC The American-Turkish Association of Washington DC, founded in 1965, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding between the Turkish and non-Turkish communities in the Washington DC area. For more information visit www.atadc.org
Contacts:
Demet Cabbar, President, American-Turkish Association Washington DC, e-mail: president@atadc.org
Hayri Baysal, Chair, Turkish Festival Committee, American Turkish Association, Washington, D.C.
, e-mail: festival@atadc.org.