Turkish Festival showcases history, culture in Monterey

There was no shortage of kebabs and dancing at the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival on Sunday at the Custom House Plaza in Monterey.

The festival has been going on for 21 years now. A Turkish naval officer who attended the Naval Postgraduate School in 1988 actually started the event.

Yavuz Atila saw there were a lot of culture festivals in Monterey, so he decided to create his own. The festival celebrates diversity with live music, dances and Turkish food and drinks.

Atila says festivals like this are also important for the children.

“My daughter is dancing, she’s first generation American here too. But they also celebrate their cultural heritage,” he said. “Most of these kids are… their parents are Turkish or mother is American, father is Turkish, or vice versa.”

Some of the organizers of the Turkish Festival also teach Turkish at the Defense Language Institute.

They also have about 100 volunteers to put on this two day event.