Eid in the Square: A Day of Exploring the Turkish Culture with Yunus Emre Institute London This Eid!

Yunus Emre Institute London joined the Mayor of London’s 18th Eid in the Square Festival to celebrate London’s vibrant culture this Eid by leading a range of fabulous art events at the Festival in Trafalgar square! 

 

Trafalgar Square is a hive of activity, and we witnessed this spike on Saturday 29 April 2023 as the Eid in the Square Festival came back to London for the 18th time, hosted by comedian Ali Official and British model and filmmaker Mariah Idrissi.  

 

Surrounded by some of London’s most iconic buildings, the Yunus Emre Institute London took part in this festive event organised by the London Mayor’s Office to promote Turkish culture through brilliant traditional arts! Yunus Emre Institute London set up a stall in the festival to showcase art pieces and demonstrate calligraphy and paper marbling arts, while promoting Turkish language courses, and other art courses at the Institute. Throughout the day, demonstrations took place by master artists Dilara Karaağaç and Gulnaz Mahboob on the traditional arts of Ebru (paper marbling) and Hüsn-i hat (Calligraphy). 

 

Over the years, the Eid in the Square Festival has grown to become one of the key cultural highlights of London’s events calendar with over 25,000 attendees taking part over the course of the day! Yunus Emre Institute London took part in the festival for the second time, following the 2022 festival. 

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan addressed the crowds “I am delighted to celebrate Eid in the Square with Londoners and visitors once again from all faiths and backgrounds. There will be fantastic entertainment for all the family, showcasing the very best of London’s Muslim communities and celebrating their immense contribution to the capital. Our city’s greatest strength is our diversity and celebrating the end of Ramadan together is another example of how we are building a better and fairer London for everyone.” 

 

Meanwhile, at the main stage were brilliant performances by a host of fantastic comedians to speakers, and even Yunus Emre Institute’s very own music instructor Ozan Baysal with his London Silk Road Collective music group. More than 25.000 people immersed themselves in the lively festival this April and enjoyed London’s thriving cultural scene by paying the Yunus Emre Institute London stall a visit!