Cloudy skies and the threat of rain did not hamper high spirits as the 19th Annual TurkishFest kicked off to a fun-filled 2-day festival of the sounds, sights, and aromas of not only Turkey, but also of Bosnia and Azerbaijan.
For the first time ever, the American Turkish Association of Houston (ATA-Houston) partnered with the Bosnian and Azeri communities of Houston for a 2-day festival to add even more color to a colorful annual highlight of the Houston fall festival season.
Those familiar with the annual TurkishFest were once again treated to the craftsmanship artists from the Caferaga Medresesi
demonstrating traditional Turkish marbling, calligraphy and ceramic-works. The grand bazaar offered visitors Turkish delicacies
and souvenirs while the food court provided mouth watering Turkish and Bosnian foods. This good food was accompanied by wonderful Turkish, Azerbaijani and Bosnian folkdances and music. This festive environment was captured by STAR TV and local media (Houston Press, KPFT, CW 39). Check out YouTube for clips.
The highlight of the festival dance stage was the lively folkdance performances of the TUANA Sanat Klubu, the current top-rated folk dance organization in Turkey. The troupe brought 12 of their best dancers to perform several times each day that did not leave any corner of the Turkish folkloric landscape uncovered, including representation of the Whirling Dervishes and the always delightful Asuk-Masuk dance performed by the founder, choreographer, and technical director of Tuana Tugay Ertunc. The group also visited Bayou City Arts Festival down the street, where they mesmerized the audiences.
On the music stage the festival hosted Baris Bilgili returning to Houston for another entertainment of the crowds with his wonderful renditions of favorite Turkish pop hits. For the second year in a row, he was accompanied by his Houston back-up band. Elgun Guliyev with his powerful voice and Tarana Kara with her exquisite piano playing shared Turkish and Azerbaijani classical and folk music favorites with the audience. Azerbaijani musicians, Rahman Assadollahi on the garmon and Tahir Guliyev on the nagara added color to the festival with their acoustic music performance.
While the music, dance and arts provided a visual feast for the festival goers, plethora of culinary delights offered provided a feast for the heart and soul. Doner kebaps and mezes of Turquoise Grill, "Sujuk-Ekmek" of ATA-Houston's own Bufe Houstanbul, cevaps and boreks of Café Pita, lahmacun of Firehouse Pizza, and the many delicious sweets and pastries by the Turkish ladies were on the top of the food list of the visitors. On the upper levels of the Jones Plaza festival grounds, the festival goers were able to kickstart their holiday shopping at the Grand Bazaar area where they could find silver jewelry pieces, evil eyes, keychains, gourmet olive oil, and much more delicacies and souvenirs. Another favorite was the henna artist.
Needless to say, neither the clouds nor the cool temperatures or the slight drizzle could dampen spirits of the lively festival that rocked downtown Houston for two days.
Pınar Ceyhan