Sunday 19 / May / 2024
Adana (Turkey): Around the world, whether in the form of fruit or colour, the orange is always known for being bright, exciting and full of life.
Small wonder then, the Adana’s International Orange Blossom Carnival in Turkey is a one-of-a-kind experience that is flavoursome and lively, and attracts visitors from all corners of the globe.
Don’t be taken aback by the sea of orange-clad people out and about Adana: The locals of the city know the importance the fruit brings to them…it is, after all, intricately enmeshed with the region.
Take a stroll down the Ataturk Park, and you might see a child licking happily on a delicious scoop of orange ice cream, his parents keeping a close but loving eye on him from nearby…his mum tucking into a pasta dish liberally studded with oranges, his dad savouring a kabab that is centred around oranges, both in terms of colour and flavour.
Walk into any of Adana’s amazing hotels and prepare to sample a veritable feast of orange-themed goodies. Walk past the specially planted orange trees in the lobby to begin your gastronomic journey with orange-flavoured soup before starting on a mandarin salad, and then take an epicurean experience around the world with its beating heart firmly founded on the other spherical object we’ve been talking about for so long.
The feast for your senses of course is all-encompassing, in a whirl of colour, excitement and most importantly, joy!
Immerse yourself in the flavourful orange parade in the streets of Adana, where the locals festoon their dresses with real oranges and build massive, festive floats, soak in the juices of an enthralling performance featuring singers, dancers, acrobats and other talented artistes from Turkey and the world beyond, and inhale deeply the scents of a world that aims to take you away from your own…at least for a while.
And, as you walk along the streets near Adana City Center with the warm and sincere people, the wonderful smell of orange flowers brought by the wind from time to time will leave you with a picture book’s worth of memories that you can cherish for the rest of your life.
Situated in the middle of the Cukurova Plain, Adana is the sixth-largest city of Turkey with over 2.2 million, nestled in the most fertile agricultural area of the whole country which is fed by the life-giving waters of the Seyhan river. So we can easily say, Adana is a city – much like the orange – has an array of flavours that everyone can enjoy.
Times of Oman was invited to check out the amazing four-day carnival, which is replete with culture, provides visitors the perfect opportunity to reconnect with both family and nature.
Organised annually in Adana every spring when the oranges of the region blossom, the Orange Blossom Festival is the most popular local event in the city. Having drawn approximately 1.5 million people, 100,000 of whom came from outside Adana in the previous years, Adana Orange Blossom Festival heralds the arrival of spring in Turkey. During the festival, street performances, dance performances, concerts of university music groups, folk dance performances, band performances, sports competitions and individual street performances take place almost everywhere in the city.
Additionally, stands on the streets showcase Adana’s exclusive delicacies and handicrafts. One of the main venues of the festival is Atatürk Park. Commissioned in 1933 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Atatürk Park is one of the oldest and largest parks of Türkiye. Located in the Seyhan district of Adana, Atatürk Park hosts a ceremonial ground where important events and celebrations are held.
So it is time to explore Adana!
