The San Francisco Turkish Festival returns to Embarcadero Plaza this weekend, with Turkish food, music, crafts and demonstrations scheduled from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The free event is organized by the Turkish American Association of California, or TAAC, which says this is the festival’s third year in San Francisco.
Organizers say the festival will include 48 vendors and performances representing Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Uyghur traditions. The program is also slated to include folk dancing, live music, darbuka drumming, contemporary performances and a whirling dervish presentation. The available event materials do not provide an independent attendance forecast for this year; TAAC says more than 7,000 people attended last year.
Craft demonstrations anchor the program
Four artisans traveling from Türkiye are expected to demonstrate traditional techniques. Orhan Çakıroğlu will present handmade yemeni leather footwear associated with Gaziantep; Almula İdil Kılıç will demonstrate Kütahya tilemaking, known as Çini; Süheyla Sarı Yoldaş will show Hereke silk weaving; and Ertuğrul Üzümcü will demonstrate Turkish coppersmithing. These descriptions come from festival materials, which do not provide additional biographical information about the artisans.
Food, desserts, Turkish coffee, jewelry, textiles, art and other handmade goods will be available across the plaza. TAAC president Nalan Gungor Ozisik has described the event’s purpose as giving visitors direct contact with food, music, dance, artists and other cultural practices rather than presenting Turkish culture only as an exhibit.
Kangal dogs connect the festival to Anatolian livestock traditions
Thakeb Kangals is scheduled to bring Kangal Shepherd Dogs to the festival and provide information about the breed’s history, characteristics and traditional role. The United Kennel Club describes the Kangal Dog as an ancient flock-guarding breed named for the Kangal District of Sivas Province in central Türkiye. The festival materials identify the dogs as livestock guardians but do not establish whether they will take part in demonstrations beyond public viewing and informational programming.
A waterfront event during a planned plaza overhaul
The festival arrives as the city advances a major redesign of its waterfront setting. San Francisco Recreation and Parks says the Recreation and Park Commission approved the final concept design on June 18, 2026, for a $40 million Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park improvement project, with groundbreaking expected in late 2026. That project is separate from the festival and does not change the event’s announced schedule.
The event’s broader cultural lineup and visiting artisans give the weekend a scope beyond a food market, but the available reporting is largely organizer-provided. It does not independently document the festival’s longer history, TAAC’s chapter structure, or how this edition’s attendance will compare with last year’s turnout.
