FLYING CARPET CHILDREN FESTIVAL to Tour Mardin Province With Little Prince-Inspired Show

The Flying Carpet Children Festival has announced the regional schedule for its 2026 edition, taking place August 21 through September 1, 2026, across communities in Türkiye'shistoric Mardin province near the Turkish-Syrian border. This year's festival will bring together 58 artists, local child artists, organizers, volunteers, and crew members representing 22 countries.

Led by Iranian American Festival Founder and Director Sahba Aminikia and Turkish Executive Director Pınar Demiral, founder of Sirkhane Social Circus School, the 2026 edition brings together International Artists, musicians, designers, and performers to offer arts-based experiences for children and families across the region. The festival will visit multiple locations, cities, and mobile centers across Mardin province.

Founded in 2018 near the Turkish-Syrian border by TED Fellow Sahba Aminikia in collaboration with Pınar Demiral, founder of Sirkhane Social Circus School, the Flying Carpet Festival has grown into an award-winning, volunteer-based mobile arts initiative serving vulnerable and refugee children in conflict-affected communities. Over its first eight years, the festival has mobilized 227 International Artists, visionaries, and musicians, reaching 41,157 children through 638 educational workshops and 77 performances. Its impact has earned international recognition, including Aminikia's 2025 Aga Khan Music Award for visionary leadership, further amplifying the festival's belief that world-class art, beauty, and imagination are fundamental human rights.

The festival's work has also been featured by TED, NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Associated Press, and Kulturaustausch, extending its story to international audiences and arts, culture, and public-interest readers.

The 2026 lineup brings together 58 artists, local child artists, organizers, volunteers, and crew members representing 22 countries, spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond for a shared purpose: creating moments of joy, creativity, and connection for children living in challenging border environments.

Creative Direction, Design & Story: Under the artistic guidance of Sahba Aminikia and Pınar Demiral, the creative team includes theatre director Torange Yezghirian (United States/Iran), light designer Camellia Rashidi (France/Iran), projection artists Jonathan Smith (United States) and Nima Dehghani (Iran/United States), puppet, costume, and prop designer Soheila Bajelan (Iran), and stage and prop designer Shayan Shariat (Iran). The story of the festival's large-scale production is written by Aida Noshali (Iran) and Torange Yezghirian and is inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.

Music & Performance: An international roster of musicians will fill the festival route with live sound, including Aaron Kierbel (United States), Tobias Pöcksteiner (Austria), Hans Blichert (Canada), Ibrahim Basil El Attar (Palestine), Omar Alkilani (Syria/Türkiye), Yvonne Melissa (Greece), Nader Adabnejad (Iran/Netherlands), Lydia Umlauf (United States), Ehsan Kalaki (Iran), Ghazal Tahmasebi (Iran), Micaela Bottari (United States), Phoebe Vlassis (United States/Greece), Niloufar Shiri (Iran/United States), Yavuz Tilek (Türkiye), and local singer-songwriter Yeser Vesek (Türkiye).

Circus & Visual Arts: Acrobatic and circus performances will be brought to life by Delia Ceruti (Italy/France), Roxana Küwen (Germany), Laura Jehle (Netherlands), Margherita Santini (Italy/Spain), Rúadhán Ó Deasmhúnaigh (Ireland), and Syrian circus artists Halit Kasim and Sevin İsmail. They will perform alongside the festival's local 'Circus Heroes'-talented child artists Ali, Beşir, Helin, Zehra, and Ahmet.

Workshops & Immersive Experiences: Mural artist Sara Shoghi (Iran/Canada) will help bring color to the festival route alongside workshop artists and visual artists Aida Noshali (Iran), Mana Tashakorinia (Iran/Finland), Tonka Uzu (Bulgaria/UK), Bilge Emir (Türkiye), and Naghmeh Foroozan (Iran); storyteller Müjde Çapraz (Türkiye); and face-painting artists Palina Rusakovich (Belarus), Darya Beliayeva (Belarus), and Hanna Nikalayeva (Belarus).

Mobilizing Magic: The 2026 Performance Schedule

After artist arrivals and rehearsal blocks from August 20 to 23, the festival's mobile caravan tour will travel across Mardin province, bringing performances and workshops directly to local communities:

August 20 - 23: Artist Arrival & Intensive Rehearsals

August 24: İstasyon Sirkhane

August 25: Derik Merkez

August 26: Gökçe

August 27: Ortaköy

August 28: Mardin JAM Night 1 - Kırklar Church

August 29: Derik Kocatepe

August 30: Diyarbakır Çınar

August 31: Nusaybin

September 1: Mardin JAM Night 2 - İz Mekan

September 2: Artist Departures

Community and Connection

Supported on the ground by Logistics Manager Hamit Samsa and documented by local and international videographers and photographers Özgür Mert, Farand Heydari, Berna Küpeli, and İbohoca, the Flying Carpet Festival relies on an international team to keep the 2026 edition moving. Sahar Elhawary (Egypt), Berna Güneş (Türkiye), Giuseppe Massaro (Italy), Pegah Karimnejad Esfahani (Iran/Germany), Azim Moollan (Mauritius), Chris Van Meer (Netherlands), and Bahar Omid (Iran) will support administration, organization, and daily coordination, while chef Kamran Ghadaksaz (United States/Iran) will curate meals and nutrition for the crew.

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