Aromatherapy Festival started in Balıkesir

The 5th Balıkesir Aromatherapy Festival, organized jointly by Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and the municipalities of Burhaniye, Edremit, Ayvalık, and Göme, started in the Burhaniye district of Balıkesir. The festival kicked off with workshop activities and harvest programs at the Balıkesir Farmer Training Center (BAÇEM), where colorful scenes were experienced on the first day.

During the first day of the festival at the Balıkesir Farmer Training Center, visitors got to know medicinal and aromatic plants, harvested, and took plenty of souvenir photos. The festival, which will last for 4 days, featured numerous stands, theater performances, and concerts. Visitors who learned about medicinal and aromatic plants at BAÇEM on the first day of the festival had an unforgettable day. Yurdakul Duymaz from Ayvalık expressed, ‘This is my first time coming to such a place. We came from Ayvalık. We came as a group on behalf of Kardelen Baskın Yavuz Music Group. And this is my first time being in a lavender field. This place is the herbal and aromatherapy festival. I am very happy. There is an incredibly beautiful scent here.’ Esma Bayraktar also commented, ‘A fabulous festival. Very beautiful. We came to this festival. Love for nature is instilled. We are getting to know beautiful aromatic plants. We see plants that we had never known before. For example, I used to think licorice root was a regular root. It turns out it is a very beautiful plant. I saw it here. Echinacea is a very healing plant. It turns out it is a different type of chamomile that we know. I saw it here. We rediscovered all the plants.’

BAÇEM Director Nazım Tanrıkulu stated, ‘We are enthusiastically completing the first day of the 5th Balıkesir Aromatherapy Festival organized by Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality. Our festival, which will host over 100 events from July 4 to 7, started with workshop activities and scientific seminars at BAÇEM. We are setting up an aromatherapy market in Ören with over 200 aromatherapy products including souvenir items. There is a stage in the square. Conversations will take place on that stage. We are using the Ören amphitheater. Five theater plays will be staged there. Three of them will be children’s plays. And we have a festival area with concerts at Ören beach. There will also be beach concerts there.’

Almina Budak added, ‘The first day was very enjoyable. I participated in two workshops. The first one was a natural soap workshop. The second one was about skincare routines. And I gained really valuable information. Our instructors taught us information that we can use in the future. I am looking forward to the second day.’