Gökçeören Culture Festival draws thousands in Manisa

The inaugural "World's Center Gökçeören (Menye) Culture Festival" was held this year in Gökçeören neighbourhood of Kula district, Manisa Province, Turkey. Thousands of residents attended the event, which opened with a mehter band parade that moved from the town square to the concert area.

The programme featured folk‑dance performances by local students, a show by the Kula 4 September Folk Ensemble, and a headline concert by well‑known singer Sümer Ezgü, who performed the song "Çökertme" among other pieces. The festival was organised by the Gökçeören Sevenler Association together with the Gökçeören Muhtar office and supported by Manisa Metropolitan Municipality.

Local officials, including Kula Mayor Hikmet Dönmez, Manisa Culture and Social Affairs Director Ural Sevener, and Association President Halil Çakıcı, attended and praised the event as a means to preserve cultural heritage, pass neighbourhood traditions to younger generations and strengthen community unity. Organisers expressed the intention to make the festival a recurring tradition.