Turkish culture on full display as festival opens in Chicago

North America's biggest and most comprehensive festival celebrating Turkish culture kicked off Friday with an opening ceremony in Chicago.

The ceremony at the three-day Turkish Festival began with a marching rendition of a traditional Ottoman military band, known as a mehter, through the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, where over 200 stands treated visitors to traditional cuisine, handicrafts, and other aspects of Turkish culture.

The opening event also included speeches by several high-profile guest speakers, including Turkish Ambassador to the US Sedat Önal, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US Khazar Ibrahim, and Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar, mayor of the southeastern Turkish province of Şanlıurfa.

Speaking to Anadolu, Halil Demir, a co-founder of the Turkish Festival's organizing committee, pointed to the growing attendance of the annual event's second edition this year.

"People are beginning to understand the importance of this place, and the message of unity and harmony that we are trying to convey," said Demir.

"Attendance has doubled, and I hope it will continue to grow even more. This shows that the beauty of our culture is being embraced by others."

Anadolu is the global communications partner of the festival, which includes culinary delights with renowned Turkish chef Ramazan Bingöl, as well as artisans specializing in traditional techniques such as paper marbling (ebru), illumination (tezhip), ceramics and calligraphy.

As an added highlight, Turkish Airlines will award round-trip tickets to Türkiye to 10 winners randomly selected from among the first 2,000 people who registered for the event.