Seattle Iranian Festival Celebrates Traditional and Contemporary Iranian Culture

Seattle Iranian Festival, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday, June 26, via https://www.facebook.com/iacaseattle, brings together Iranians, Iranian Americans and non-Iranians in a rich cultural celebration. Presented virtually in 2021, the festival features poetry, music, dance, food, art and more that speak to the place of Iranian culture locally and in the wider world.

City of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan launches the festival with a special greeting, followed by an interview with Seattle Center director Robert Nellams and Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA) chairwoman Mahta Ahmadnia. Additional interviews and conversations are dispersed throughout the evening, with Shally Zomorodi (San Diego Fox 5 news anchor), IACA founder Ali Ghambari, festival poster designer Ghazaleh Vakili, Mona Kiani of Englisi Farsi, author Zeina Abdullah and others.

Festival music and art components include Seattle Persian School in song, Karoun Dance Ensemble, music by Payam Khast-Khodaei and a video of artwork by local Iranian American artists. Iranian poet, song writer and pop singer Shahyar Ghanbari will be interviewed, along with the contemporary folk music ensemble Rastak Music Group, whose members will also perform.

Festival producers will round out the evening with two cooking demonstrations, by Omid Roustaei a.k.a. The Caspian Chef and culinary director for Seattle-Isfahan Sister City Advocacy and a baking demonstration by Sepideh Zolfaghari of Joon Sweets.

View the program details at: http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/festal/iranian-festival.

Seattle Center Festál highlights the culturally rich communities who help shape the character and course of our region. The series, presented virtually in 2021 provides a forum for cultural groups to come together and share their stories with the greater community. The series began in 1997 to offer a central place for festivals to invite the public to join in their unique cultural expression.

Seattle Center presents Seattle Center Festál: Seattle Iranian Festival in partnership with the Iranian American Community Alliance, which works to unite, strengthen and mobilize the Iranian American community in the greater Seattle area. Streaming is free of charge. For more information, visit www.seattlecenter.com/festal or call 206-684-7200.