Snow enthusiasts will gather at the Highland Winter Festival

Preparations have begun for the 3rd Kastamonu Araç Highland Winter Festival, organized by Kastamonu University and the Araç District Governorship. The festival, which will feature numerous activities, promises attendees the joy of snow.

The preparations for the 3rd Kastamonu Araç Highland Winter Festival are underway. The organizing committee, led by Araç District Governor Emin Cevat Tutar and including Araç Mayor Satılmış Sarıkaya and Kastamonu University Faculty of Tourism Lecturer Hikmet Haberal, conducted inspections in the Fındıklı and Gölcük plateaus where the festival will take place. The festival, scheduled for January 26-28 in the plateaus, will include lighting the festival fire, folk dance performances, various contests, DJ performances, off-road demonstrations, torchlight walks, music and entertainment, demonstrations by the National Ski Team, and mountaineering activities.

Festival coordinator Hikmet Haberal emphasized that the festivals they organize contribute significantly to regional tourism. Reflecting on the success of previous festivals, Haberal stated, "We encountered much more interest than we expected. We presented this festival at the International Tourism Congress, wrote articles about the district, and showcased the local cultural values, customs, and traditions. A successful festival was held with participants from mountaineering clubs from outside the city, university students, and local residents."

Haberal mentioned the addition of new activities to this year's festival and said, "We are here to offer different products to the Araç district, Kastamonu, Western Black Sea, and national tourism. We see high interest in our festival. It will embrace Kastamonu, the Western Black Sea, and the country as a festival. Last year, our biggest drawback at the festival site was the lack of communication. There was no base station, but despite this, it received great attention on social media. We want to showcase our natural wonder plateaus to the world. Our goal is to internationalize the festival and organize it every year."

There will be participation in the festival from all cities of Turkey," said Haberal, emphasizing that participants from all over the country will join the festival. He stated, "There will be participation in the festival from all cities of Turkey. Nature lovers, various mountain clubs, hiking clubs, off-roaders, rafters, and caravan groups will participate. We invite everyone to our winter festival to be in touch with nature. This plateau is a natural wonder, and here, we will hopefully organize many activities and various competitions. We expect our university students, local residents, and people from neighboring provinces of Kastamonu to be part of this festival. We also invite everyone to participate in our festival. Hopefully, we will organize a colorful and fun festival.