Celebrating Children, Culture, and the Environment: BEF at the Nisan Children’s Festival

The event celebrates April 23, known in Turkey as National Sovereignty and Children’s Day — the first and only state-declared holiday in the world dedicated to all the children of the world. Established in 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the modern Turkish Republic, the day commemorates the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and symbolizes peace, solidarity, and international friendship through children. It is widely celebrated with cultural events both in Turkey and among Turkish communities abroad, with international participation.

In Hamburg, the festival brought together an estimated 10,000 to 13,000 visitors, creating a joyful atmosphere with dance performances, songs, poetry recitals, painting and music competitions, and plenty of games. Among the many guests was the Mayor of Hamburg, whose visit underscored the city’s support for togetherness.

BEF was proud to contribute with a booth full of interactive environmental education activities. Children especially loved our “trash fishing” game: using magnetic rods, they tried to fish waste out of a small paddling pool and save the aquatic creatures — a hands-on way to show how difficult it can be to clean polluted water. The highlight came when children who removed three pieces of trash were invited to toss a wish stone into the pool. This moment sparked their imagination and created a joyful connection with their families.

We also ran a matching game, where children and parents guessed how long different plastic waste items take to decompose in nature. It sparked surprise, discussion, and learning for children of all ages.

At our booth, we also spoke with families about sustainable building and renovation materials, shared multilingual brochures, and presented our ongoing projects — namely NonHazCity, BALTIPLASTand Erasmus+ Sustainable Behavior: Climate Action for All. These informal, relaxed conversations helped connect environmental awareness with ease of use.

In light of this year’s success, talks are already underway to make next year’s festival a green event, with even more focus on sustainability and climate-friendly practices — a vision BEF is more than excited to support.

The event was not only a celebration of children, but also a meaningful opportunity to promote environmental responsibility, inclusion, and intercultural dialogue. We thank TGH for the event and all the little environmental heroes who joined us!

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