History tends to repeat itself, which means there’s a good chance you’ll get run over by another war elephant. Admire what history has taught us thus far with today’s Groupon: for $11, you get two one-day admission tickets to the Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival (up to a $24 value), held 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. October 6–9 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Children age 6 and younger receive free admission.
The four-day Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival enlightens visitors to the cuisine, music, architecture, and art of Anatolian culture. Five major cities come to life as towering, three-dimensional replicas, recreating landmarks such as Istanbul’s Blue Mosque and the Temple of Apollo in Antalya, and the 10th century Akdamar church in the eastern Anatolia region. Visitors can watch videos inside Maiden’s Tower, or crawl inside a faux traditional house from the city of Mardin to tickle the fringes handmade carpets until they purr. Costumed staff members dispense historical tidbits and fashion advice at the Gates of Civilization exhibit, which consists of a series of arches ornately designed to resemble storied past cultures, such as the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. After procuring snacks and crafts from the approximately 100 booths of the Grand Bazaar, attendees can meander to the main stage, where whirling dervishes, live folk-dance shows, and attendees with tic-tac-toe grids shaved into the back of their heads entertain viewers throughout the day.
