The 15th annual Carob Festival got underway in Tatlısu on Thursday.
The four-day festival, which includes a number of cultural, sports and artistic activities, aims to promote Carob produce and products.
The annual festivities in Tatlısu got underway on Thursday with a cortege procession followed by the observance of a minutes silence and the hoisting of the flags to the national anthem.
The ceremony was followed by performances by folk dance groups, a magic, and acrobatics show and a Balkan music concert by Cüneyt Şentürk.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor of Tatlısu Hayri Orçun drew attention to the growing importance shown to Carob production and its exports.
Also attending the festival, the Minister of Public Works and Communication Erhan Arıklı said that the festival was an important event for the area.
Arıklı said that the Tatlısu Municipality was one of the municipalities which they had worked hard not to be integrated with other municipalities.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel who also attended the festival’s opening ceremony departed early due to another engagement.