Delight In The Melodies Of Turkey At Seattle Center Festál: TURKFEST 2018

Transform your cultural awareness at Seattle Center Festál: Turkfest, Saturday and Sunday, noon - 6 p.m., Oct 13-14, at Seattle Center Armory. Turkfest underscores the extraordinary arts and expression of a culture infused with eastern and western influences as it presents live entertainment, authentic foods, ethnic items for sale, workshops, demonstrations and hands-on learning for kids and adults.

Created in 2001 by a group of dedicated Turkish-American volunteers desiring to highlight the diversity and richness of Turkish culture, Turkfest is an annual cultural festival that fosters friendship, understanding and cooperation in the greater communtity. This year's theme "Melodies of Turkey" explores the broad range of Turkish music, song, instruments and dance with several unique performances.

For guests 21 and over, a raki (Turkish alcoholic drink) sampling event takes place in the festival's Middle Eastern corner. Participants will taste five to six types of raki paired with meze (appetizers) inside a cozy, decorated corner with authentic rugs and pillows. Turkish coffee, tea and treats will also be available.

For more information on Turkfest, visit their Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/tacawa/ or https://www.facebook.com/TurkfestSeattle

Seattle Center Festál brings to light the culturally rich communities who shape the character of our region. Although the series began in 1997, its origins stretch back to when ethnic communities were planting their roots here. For many of them, Seattle Center served as a central place, where they could invite the public to join in their unique cultural expression. Some festivals were formed in response to wars or ethnic displacement and others to unite their communities, educate the public and dispel stereotypes. Now at 21 years, Festál producers are seeking to sustain their festivals with compelling programming that appeals to multiple generations.

Seattle Center Festál is a public program presented by Seattle Center in partnership with Turkish American Cultural Association of WA (TACAWA). Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on this festival, visit turkfest.org, and to learn more about this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.

About Seattle Center Festál

This illuminating series of 23 ethnic cultural festivals on weekends throughout the year seeks to connect people in ways that build understanding, dispel stereotypes and generate pride among the generations who participate in these shared experiences. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, 4Culture. the City of Seattle and Seattle Center Foundation.