Spring festival season is upon us, with a range of events lined up starting this weekend.
Tickets are almost sold out for a folk dance fair, Bendo, involving some 150 teenagers in five groups and being held in aid of the Kemal Saraçoğlu Foundation for Children with Leukaemia and the Fight Against Cancer.
Yesterday’s performance was a sell-out, but there are still seats left for a show in Lefkoşa’s Near East University Atatürk Culture and Congress Centre at 8pm next Saturday, March 5. Tickets can be obtained from the foundation priced at 10TL – call 0542 850 8700.
The next day sees the sixth Traditional Orchid Observation Walk take place at Lefke, costing 75TL per person including 8am transport from Lefkoşa to Lefke European University.
The event begins with speeches and dance shows, followed by a two-hour guided nature walk to the orchid valley, with sandwiches and refreshments provided. Participants lunch at Bakirci restaurant and there will be a trip to the lodge and tomb of the late Sheikh Nazim Kibrsi before returning to the pick-up point. To book a place, call 0548 866 6094.
Flowers are on the agenda again on Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, with the traditional Tulip Festival at Tepebaşi.
A full programme has yet to be drawn up, but activities will include stalls, folk dance shows and music in the festival arena, along with short guided walks to see the tulips. Visitors will also be able to part in walks lasting two hours and covering some 8km through forest land on both mornings.
Meanwhile, the Folk Arts Foundation’s 24th Children and Stories Festival is lined up for Saturday, April 2, with the first rounds of a story-telling contest for primary school children, at Lefkosa’s Arabahmet Cultural Centre. The finals take place the following Saturday and winners in two age-groups receive a prize from sponsor Pengu Toys. For details, call 0533 864 6414.
