Mesarya Culture, Arts and Sports Festival to take place in eight villages from 1–5 September

The Mesarya Municipality will hold the 2nd International Culture, Arts and Sports Festival from 1 to 5 September. Events will take place in eight settlements across Northern Cyprus, with folk dance ensembles from Argentina, Venezuela, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan joining local groups on stage.

The programme was announced at a press conference held at the Union of Turkish Cypriot Municipalities. Mesarya Mayor Ahmet Latif stressed that this is not an entertainment programme, but a cultural, artistic and sports project introducing residents of the region to other countries.

The festival will cover Korkuteli, Dörtyol, Turunçlu, Vadili, Aslanköy, Paşaköy, İnönü and Akdoğan. It will start on 1 September in Korkuteli, while guests and local ensembles will perform in Dörtyol Square in the evening, followed by Reva at 22:00. On 2 September, Vadili will host a procession and the official opening, including the lighting of the festival flame; the evening will conclude with a concert by Yahya Erenköy. On 3 September, Aslanköy and Paşaköy will host the programme with a concert by Grup Frekans, while on 4 September it will move to İnönü, where Grup Pena will perform.

The final day, 5 September, will be held in Akdoğan. The Mesarya Municipality Cultural Centre will open there, followed by a procession, forgotten traditional children's games from around the world, a Traditional Cyprus Night and evenings dedicated to the participating countries. Grup Otantik will perform at 20:00, the award ceremony will take place at 21:30, and the festival will close with a concert by Koray Avcı at 22:00.

Özlem Kadıraga, head of the TRNC Folk Dance Association and CIOFF, said that during the Traditional Cyprus Night, foreign guests would be introduced to local cuisine, sweets and handicrafts, while international ensembles would present their own traditions. According to her, a separate part of the programme is dedicated to almost-forgotten street games: they will be brought back to children, while guests will demonstrate their traditional games.