Savor a cup of Turkish tea or coffee and taste Turkish cuisine, while learning how the Ottoman culture influenced Balkan food, music, dance, customs and language at Seattle Center Festál: TurkFest, 12pm-6pm, Saturday, and 12pm-5pm, Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, in Seattle Center Armory.
“Trailblazers: The Makers of Modern Turkey” is the theme for the 15th annual TurkFest. Musicians from Turkey are the festival’s special guests, performing popular music that underscores contemporary Turkish music trends. Other performance highlights include music by Group Truva, folkdance by Anar Dana, Anadolu Youth Dancers, Anadolu Turkish Folk Dancers and belly dancing by Janelle. Students from Redmond-based American Turkish Academy perform “Famous People & Places.”
Lectures entitled “Greek and Roman Cities of Aegean Turkey” and “Archaeology, Historic Preservation and Museums in Turkey” connect the modern Turkish state to its ancient past. A demonstration of çini, Turkish tile art, showcases folk art traditions.
Children’s activites include a bouncy house, a toddler playground and arts and crafts projects. A bazaar provides the opportunity to sample traditional Turkish cuisine, including donair, baklava and Turkish coffee and tea, and shop for authentic Turkish carpets, jewelry, wine and Turkish delights.
Seattle Center Festál is a program of Seattle Center Productions. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on TurkFest and other Seattle Center public programming, click on Seattle Center or call 206 684-7200.
