The second Kusadasi Twin Cities Festival will be held from 14-16 October. The festival, for which Pegasus is the transportation sponsor, will this year host Skopje`s Gjorce Petrov municipality as its guest of honor initiated by Kusadasi Municipality with the aim of developing social, economic and tourism relations with twin cities, the `Kusadasi Sister Cities Festival` is organized for the second time this year.
Held for the first time in 2009 in memory of the late Foreign Secretary Ismail Cem with Samos Island, as the `Peace and Friendship Festival`, it was renamed last year with the participation of other sister cities, as the `Sister Cities Festival` and drew great attention.
This year the festival will sweep Kusadasi with a Balkan breeze, with the Macedonian capital Skopje`s Gjore Petrov municipality as the guest of honor. Other sister cities invited to the event this year are Samos in Greece, Batumi in Georgia, Prizren in Kosovo, Marl in Germany, Bihac in Bosnia Herzegovina, Sinaia in Romania, Taormina in Italy, Creil in France, Monterey in the US and Karabaglar in Turkey.
Food, music and dance
The festival will be held throughout the city, beginning with guest mayors` visit to Kusadasi Municipality, interviews and presentations to introduce sister cities, tasting buffets for guests to sample a special selection from Macedonian cuisine, folk dance performances and concerts to project the cultures of sister cities.
Macedonia`s world-famous `Djambo Agusevi Orchestar`, a `Macedonian Folk Dances` show, `Cenk Bosnali & Balkan Express` and `Momo Nikolovski` concerts and world-class jazz musician, Kusadasi`s own Maffy Falay, and his band the `Muffy Falay Jazz Band` will ensure guests have an unforgettable time.
Sisterhood of years
Kusadasi Mayor Esat Altungun stated that the biggest goal in tourism is to bring together the world`s cultures and make people embrace each other, and emphasized the importance of such events. `Kusadasi is a city that has been identified with culture, trade and tourism for thousands of years. I am glad to provide a continuation of this mission and delighted to host guests coming here from all four corners of the world,` said Altungun. Gjor e Petrov is Kusadasi Municipality`s oldest sister town and is a charming municipality within the city of Skopje. Muslims of Turkish origin make up one to two percent of the population of the town, where there is a park and a street named after Kusadasi.
Skopje is now even closer
Initiated by Pegasus Airlines on 19 August, Skopje-lzmir flights will help draw a large number of guests and tourists to Kusadasi, consequently enabling integration between the people of both cultures. Pegasus is also the festival`s transportation sponsor.
Kusadasi is just a short flight away from various points around Turkey and many destinations worldwide via Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.
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