Turkish Day Parade in New York

Several other representatives of the Turkish community in the United States and a large crowd including tourists and New Yorkers watched the raising of the Turkish flag while the Turkish national anthem played.

Activist İbrahim Kurtuluş, who was closely involved in organizing this year’s event, said their aim was to “introduce and promote Turkish culture and values to American society.”

The second activity of the festival took place at the Brooklyn Municipality. Brooklyn Mayor Eric Adams and Turkish Consul-General Yalçın delivered speeches at the municipality, which was decorated with Turkish and American flags and where national anthems were played and Turkish food was offered to guests. Lütfü Savaş, the mayor of Hatay, a Mediterranean city on Turkey’s troubled border with Syria, was also present.

This annual celebration continued on the morning of May 21 with a parade starting at Madison Avenue and 56th Street. The colorful parade headed out to 47th Street and then east to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, between First and Second Avenues, where the festival continued until the afternoon with a concert. AA