Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival was reminiscent of the Rio Carnival

The traditional parade at the 25th International Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Arts Festival, organized this year by the Büyükçekmece Municipality, created a visual feast. The parade, featuring 1,200 cultural and artistic ambassadors from 75 countries in their traditional costumes and music, was joined by the people of Büyükçekmece, who participated in the carnival spirit with their specially prepared costumes.

A parade that rivals carnivals

With participation from the people of Büyükçekmece aged 7 to 70, the parade provided colorful and unforgettable visuals that rivaled carnivals. Starting at Albatros Beach, local tradespeople along the route supported the parade with confetti and torches. Mayor of Büyükçekmece, Dr. Hasan Akgün, saluted the residents of Büyükçekmece who participated in the parade alongside his wife, Hatice Akgün. Distributing carnations to thousands of citizens filling the Kordonboyu, Mayor Akgün invited everyone to witness the beauties of the festival and the richness of culture and art.

Traditional dance performances took breaths away

After the parade, countries participating in the festival created a visual feast with their colorful national folkloric costumes and unique music during dance performances at the Municipality City Square. The festival peaked with the stage shows and spectacular performances of DJ Kadir Çetin. The dance performances of the countries that took the stage left a mark on the night. The colorful displays of the countries showcasing folk dances accompanied by their folkloric costumes and traditional music provided an unforgettable night for the thousands present at the Büyükçekmece Municipality City Square.

“The heart of culture beats in Büyükçekmece”

Dr. Hasan Akgün, the Mayor of Büyükçekmece who participated in the parade, invited everyone to the culture and arts festival, stating: ‘The 25th International Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Arts Festival has started. Tonight, we have a 2.5-kilometer walk at Büyükçekmece Kordonboyu. It rivals Rio for us. A stunning dynamic and lively 75 countries plus the youth of Istanbul, and the youth of Büyükçekmece, all are in the parade. The festival will officially open internationally on Monday with sections linked to UNESCO. If you want to see culture, art, friendship, and love all in one bundle, let’s meet at the Büyükçekmece Mimar Sinan Bridge starting at 20:00 on Monday evening. There, over 1,200 young people, cultural ambassadors from 75 countries, will hold hands together with their flags and say to our people, ‘Love is for all of us, peace is for all of us.’ Let’s all watch the magnificent opening ceremony together. I invite all the people of Istanbul and art lovers to come to Büyükçekmece to witness the riches of the 25th International Culture and Arts Festival.’

“We are happy to meet new people and see different cultures”

Cultural and artistic ambassadors from 75 countries added color to the parade with their traditional costumes at the 25th International Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Arts Festival, which brings together representatives from all over the world. Katarina Ivanisevic, one of the artistic ambassadors participating in the festival, stated: “I come from Serbia. It’s our first time here. So far, we are enjoying the festival. We are very happy and grateful to be here. We are happy to meet new people and see different cultures.”

Kadriye Yılmaz, one of the citizens watching the festival, expressed: “We are from Büyükçekmece. Our festival and our Mayor Dr. Hasan Akgün make Büyükçekmece what it is. We celebrate our festival as we do every year. The future is very bright. We want to introduce our Büyükçekmece to the world. We are very pleased with our festival.”