Melbourne’s Turkish Cypriot community is preparing for an extravagant celebration.
The community will gather at the North Cyprus Turkish Community Centre in Albion on Sunday, April 29, to celebrate National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
Event organiser Dilek Coskun said the day was the perfect opportunity for community unity.
“We had our festival celebrating 70 years in Australia back in March and fresh off the tremendous success of that, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to come together as a community once again,” she said.
“It will be a giant party celebrating our children, who are our future.”
The event will run from noon to 4pm and will feature a wide range of activities.
“We’ll be reciting Turkish poems, singing national songs, have costumes, jumping castles, face-painting and flag making,”
Ms Coskun said. “It’s open to children of all ages and with so many activities on, people can stay the full four hours or just stop in for a brief period.”
Ms Coskun said the celebration would provide the community with a taste of home.
“The day is very significant in Turkey and North Cypress – it’s a holiday and there’s no school,” she said.
“It’s obviously not a holiday here, but by having this celebration we’re educating the children on our culture.”
Details: facebook.com/cyprusturkishfestival/
