Klaus Jurgens Gaziantep in southeastern Türkiye has just become the focal point of the entire country by transforming the metropolis into a festival hub. At stake: GastroANTEP combined with being part of this year’s Culture Route Festival. The festival is a joint venture between the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality and the National Ministry of Culture and Tourism, with the latter 2024 eight months offering stops in 16 different cities on that very nationwide cultural route.
Yet, being live on location, one thing is sure: GastroANTEP stands out from the events calendar crowd, so to speak. Above all else, the people of Gaziantep ensured that all guests, visitors and the local population would share in the excitement. We shall return to that point, but as the wider region was struck by devastating twin earthquakes early in 2023, one immediately felt the motivation, the resilience, the spirit behind the festival in the sense of “Gaziantep region is back and as a matter of fact back on top.
” Every perfect large-scale public event needs an opener. Only here in Gaziantep we had not just one but three: a cortege with many local associations, music, bands and more, attended and joined by a huge crowd. “Colourful” would be an understatement.
Then, the indoor ceremony will be held in a packed conference hall. First with a beautiful song performance by children and second followed by interventions by dignitaries. For the purpose of penning this article, let us mention two .
