Seattle's Biggest Children's Festival Announces 13th Anniversary

Time to get ready for the most culturally enriching festival of the year! The Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington (TACAWA) is excited and proud to bring you the Thirteenth Annual International Children's Friendship Festival (ICFF) to the Emerald City on Saturday, April 23rd for the 13th year. Partnering with the Seattle Center and Ethnic Heritage Council, ICFF is an opportunity for children to celebrate their cultures, international peace and friendship through performance and education.

ICFF is inspired by the Turkish tradition "Children's Day" that dates back to 1920. The founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23rd to the children and named it "Children's Day" to emphasize that the future belongs to future generations. Kids around the world visit Turkey & perform their cultural dances & become part of this peaceful reminder of global friendship. ICFF is an opportunity to commemorate this important effort and continue Ataturk's legacy of "Peace at Home and Peace in the World."

"This extraordinary event is very exciting and has been inspiring us to build stronger communities for thirteen wonderful years now. We are very excited to continue to enrich Pacific Northwest children's lives through cultural exchange in music, art, and friendship. For the past decade, ICFF hosted over 75 countries around world performed 500 different performances under the festival's umbrella. Thousands of lives have been touched & enriched by the experience." said Pelin Muharremoglu, spokesperson at ICFF.

This year, Seattleites will have the opportunity to witness children groups representing twenty countries perform unique dances and musical performances. The festival will also feature cultural exhibits by local ethnic communities, providing an opportunity for visiting children to connect with and learn about each other's cultures. ICFF will also host an Arts Showcase with the theme of "Healthy Earth and Happy Kids".

On its 13th anniversary, ICFF is delighted to host performers representing Austria, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Serbia, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, U.S. and Uzbekistan are expected to participate. These countries are home to more than half of the world's population.

For our guests, masks are optional and highly recommended. All performers and volunteers above 12 years are vaccinated. Masks and hand sanitizers will be available at multiple points for convenience.

Please join International Children's Friendship Festival (ICFF) - Seattle's largest Children's Festival - to celebrate its 13th Anniversary:

Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 - Free Event

11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Place: Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St., Seattle, Washington 98109

About International Children's Friendship Festival (ICFF):

For additional information on International Children's Friendship Festival, please visit http://www.icffseattle.org/ or ICFF's Facebook page.

About Seattle Center:

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations which reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract more than 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.