In 1959 members of a folklore group and the local tourist association founded The World Festival of Folklore in Schoten in order to promote folk art by presenting it to the public in a beautiful setting, being the historical castle and its surroundings.

The festival takes place every year from Friday before through Friday after the second Sunday in July. Eight to 10 high quality foreign dance ensembles present their program to an audience totalling 30 to 35.000.

It is an amateur festival and therefore meant in the first place to non-professional folk art groups of a high artistic standard. For the sake of preservation the organisers prefer authentic folklore, but they accept adaptation to the stage.

The aim of the organisers is not only to preserve the cultural heritage but also to allow people all over the world to learn to know each other better. Therefore much time is reserved for playing music, dancing together, making excursions, demonstrating handicrafts and playing games.

Grand-damе of Bulgarian jazz, the famous singer Yildiz Ibrahimova will perform in Australia next month. Her Australian tour will start with two concerts in the capital of Australia, Canberra on 10 and 11 of July, following by a concert in Melbourne on July 16 and her last concert will be on July 18 in Sydney.

The events are expected with great interest, since it is the first appearance of Yildiz in Australia.


The star deeply suffered her husband death - Turkish MP Ali Dincher, and made great effort to come back again on to the stage. Yildiz will appear again before her many admirers with a magnificent program. It includes classic pieces of European and Turkish classical music, samples from Bulgarian and Turkish folklore served as improvisations.
On stage with unique Yildiz Ibrahimova will be known pianist Hakan Toker and her daughter, little 12 years old Suna.

Organizers of the tour are Australian European Alliance, the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey and the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Canberra.

10 - 11 July 2009, concert in Canberra
16 July 2009, concert in Melbourne
18 July 2009, concert in Sydney

For enquiry: australia.europe.alliance@gmail.com

Who is Yildiz Ibrahimova?

OUR AIMS

Because technology has made man arrogant and egocentric.
Because we think that environmental education does not work when man face environment authoritatively.
Because the "Nature-Animals-Man" triptych must retain a balance
Because man can never realize the fact that man and environment are interdependent by means of words but by experience and actions. This is the reason why we created "Once upon a time"
At its live folklore workshops you will see nature, man, animals in an interdependent harmonic and balanced relationship.
At "Once upon a time" you will see no dead exhibition areas.
You will experience live tradition, a fairytale-like reality, a game of tradition and life, of nature, man, animals, in as ideal relationship.

CONTACT : ARİF SÖNMEZ

In May 2009 the International folklore festival "Dances Along the Danube" will be held. The festival has been organized every second year since 1997 by "Colou" cultural club in the town of Vidin, supported by the Municipality of Vidin.

Folklore Ensembles from six countries will present folklore dances and songs from their folklore heritage.

The exact dates of the venue of the seventh International Folklore festival "Dances Along the Danube" haven’t been specified yet.