Seattle Center Festál Hosts Their Iranian Festival June 18

Seattle Center Festál: Iranian Festival offers exploration and insights into the culture of Iran, Saturday, June 18, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., in Center House.

Partake in an Iranian tea house tasting, sample traditional Persian food, join the Iranian community at an evening dance party and participate in Iranian children's play. Music and dance performances, Rumi poetry, puppet shows and face painting provide a glimpse into this ethnically opulent and enticing culture.

This year, the Iranian Festival is participating in the Seattle Center Festál Fabric of America Project (FFAP), E = MC2 (Engaging through media, spreading culture at the speed of light), an arts and social media participatory project.

You can visit the Iranian Festival FFAP at http://iranianfestival.festalproject.com/ and submit a photo, video or text that answers the following question: "What does being Iranian American mean to you?" This project is open to anyone with familiarity or understanding of Iran or Iranian culture. Answers will be exhibited at the Iranian Festival on June 18.

This year's special festival guests are: Comedian Reza Peyak, performing live throughout the Festival. Reza's comedy is full of energy and entertainment. Through his hilarious observations, Reza makes light of a variety of topics affecting the world today, calligrapher Ali Rouhfar, and writer Jasmin Darznik.

The 21 Seattle Center Festál cultural celebrations highlight The Common forms of tradition and expression among ethnic communities in the Pacific Northwest, while underscoring their unique creative contributions, customs, foods and ideals. Each event offers moving entertainment and fascinating insight into a different culture of the world.

Seattle Center Festál: Iranian Festival is presented by Seattle Center in partnership with the Iranaian American Community Alliance. For a full event schedule, visit www.iaca-seattle.org. For more information on this cultural series and other Seattle Center programming, click on www.seattlecenter.com, or call 206 684-7200.

About Seattle Center Festál

Seattle Center Festál, a series of 21 world festivals presented at Seattle Center throughout 2011, highlights the distinct cultures and common threads of ethnic communities in our region through traditional and contemporary art, music, foods, youth activities, workshops and more. This collection of cultural events is produced with the generous support of Wells Fargo, Verizon Wireless and KUOW 94.9 Public Radio. Additional support is provided by Seattle Center Foundation and the City of Seattle.