Grapes to be celebrated at Mehmetçik Festival

ONE of the TRNC’s oldest festivals begins in the Karpaz village of Mehmetçik today in honour of the area’s grapes, amid celebrations of the potato at Beyarmudu, and of culture and the arts at Çamlıbel, near Lapta.

The week-long 59th Mehmetçik Grape Festival will be centred on the village square until next Saturday, August 10, and this year includes the fifth International Golden Grape Folk Dance Festival featuring shows by teams from the TRNC, Turkey, Romania, Mexico, Bulgaria and Egypt.

Nightly festival activities will see the promotion and sale of grapes and related products. Events begin at 8.30pm and include folk dancing tonight; a Cyprus Night, concert by arts academy DoRe-Mi, dance shows and a concert by Alpmut and Mahmut Ezer tomorrow; a display of regional folk costumes on Monday; Cultural Bonding Night on Tuesday; and a Folk Dance Gala Night on Wednesday. Group Otantik will perform on Thursday and Hasan Ceylanlı and his orchestra on Friday, while Lütfiye Özipek will give the closing concert on August 10.

Meanwhile, the three-day eighth Çamlıbel Culture and Art Festival, organised by Lapta Municipality and local promotional group Çam-Sev, started last night and continues today with concerts by groups SOS and Pass Note, plus tombola and folk dance shows. Tomorrow’s last day will see concerts by group Frekans and Berk Çomunoğlu — plus a tomato fight. All events start from 6.30pm at the Yusuf Akmandor events area.

Beyarmudu Municipality is hosting its ninth Potato Culture and Arts Festival this weekend, with fire dance, puppet and illusion shows tonight and performers to include Mustafa Eralp Kutbittin, Grup Otantik and Kurtalan Ekspres. Tomorrow sees Turkish rocker Murat Kekilli take the stage after a Sultan Durusular concert. Events are from 7.30pm in the village square, where there will be stalls selling traditional handicrafts and foods.