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Global village: Take a bite of Turkish cuisine at grand festival

Music and cultural festival to be held at Port Grand from Feb 19 to Feb 21

Our Correspondent February 12, 2016

Music and cultural festival to be held at Port Grand from Feb 19 to Feb 21. PHOTO: FACEBOOK

KARACHI: Residents of Karachi will be able to enjoy Turkish cuisine, music and culture at a three-day festival scheduled from February 19 to February 21 at Port Grand.

The Grand Turkish Festival will be held from 5pm onwards on the three days. The consul-general of the Republic of Turkey, Murat M Onart, shared details at a press briefing at Port Grand on Friday evening.

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"The festival will be a means to keep Pakistan-and-Turkey relations alive," said Onart, adding that the relationship between politics and culture is a close one. He added that a troupe of 14 persons will be flown in from Turkey to perform classical, folk and pop music. There will be food, dancing, entertainment and an opportunity for shop for jewellery, ceramics, lamps, carpets and beverages. "For three days, we [Turkey] will rock Karachi," he said.

The festival will be hosting three different kinds of music. Five people will be performing Turkish folk music and regional dance, six performers will be performing pop music and there might be collaboration between Fuzon group of Pakistan and Turkish bands.

"We are bringing Turkish cuisines in the festival," he shared. "There might be other surprises too. I know Pakistanis love food."

Onart recalled the time when Port Grand opened in Karachi as he had recently been posted at the time. Port Grand appeared to be a very different place that people from all walks of the Pakistani society visited, he said.

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Turkish Airlines is sponsoring the festival and will be starting two daily flights from Karachi to Istanbul at the end of February. People will have a chance to win air tickets at the festival as well.

On Pakistan-Turkey economic collaboration, the consul0-eneral said that the economic minister will visit Islamabad soon. "Agreements will be signed. Pakistan will benefit from them more than Turkey," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2016.