Despite signage and fliers, you won’t find Edmonton’s Turkish Festival taking place in Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park this weekend.
A failed military coup in Turkey caused organizers to cancel the event at the last minute.
READ MORE: Attempted coup in Turkey leaves over 265 dead; President Erdogan strengthens power
“We were halfway (through) finishing the preparations and as soon as we heard the news, people started making phone calls to Turkey,” organizer Ibrahim Cin explained. “Their families are in Turkey. We didn’t want to give them a hard time – volunteering in two days of the festival.”
Cin left Turkey for Canada 16 years ago but still has family there.
He said he never expected to see this level of violence in his native country.
“At the first moment I heard about it, it was like a dream – ‘Am I hearing this right, or not?'”
Cin’s relatives are safe but he has been closely following any news out of Turkey since.
READ MORE: Ottawa urges calm in Turkey following failed coup, asks Canadians to stay indoors
“I saw my wife crying – watching the video and crying – really, it saddened our family, our community.”
Cin estimates the Turkish population in Edmonton to be around 3,000 people.
He explained the political landscape in Turkey is similar to any other country, with a majority of people selecting a government while some outspoken people disagree.
“We do not believe in taking the government down by military coup or any undemocratic way. People have to choose their government a democratic way,” he said. “People have to go and vote for their government.”
The Turkish Festival is not exactly new to Edmonton, but was cancelled the last two years due to budgetary constraints.
Its purpose is to celebrate Turkish culture but organizers felt the timing this year was wrong.
“We don’t think it is right to celebrate at any level while our country is having horrific incident.”
Cin said plans are in the works to reschedule the festival, but dates have not yet been selected.