Ozanköy Flower Show, May 2009, North Cyprus
March 27, 2009 by Essential Ed
Filed under Arts & Culture, See & Do
All pics courtesy of The Ozanköy Flower Show – www.ozankoyflowershow.com
As we pass through the very short spring and on into summer (we hope, after all the rain this year!), it’s a time of year which is full of community activity as well as the burst of colour from our gardens. One event which was hugely successful last year was the first North Cyprus Ozanköy Flower Show, held and organised by the Five Fingers Restaurant in Ozanköy and which is owned and run by Alex and Libby Main. This year the name has been changed slightly to incorporate another important part of North Cyprus’s heritage and is now called the Ozanköy Flower Show and Carob Festival.
The couple have really had an impact on the local community since arriving in North Cyprus some years ago, building 
a strong following amongst the local gardening set, as well as encouraging children to get involved with Five Fingers having its own bookshop and reading club for youngsters.
Turkish Cypriots and ex-pats alike were enthused with the professional approach to the Show last year as its no mean feat to organise the competition classes, speakers, star guests (who just happened to be Rauf ‘Papa’ Denktaş!) and all the other organisational aspects of a flower show and fete. It really helped to make it a popular event where people could show off their talents in all sorts of categories whether they be amateur gardeners or handicraft geniuses!
This year the event will be held over two days on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd May with additional classes 
following on from last year to broaden participation, and you don’t have to be a gardening expert either! Although there are around 23 classes for ‘best exhibit’ in the flower and bloom category there are also categories in bakery and home produce, handcrafts, hand made cards, photography, art and children’s classes, so its not all about flowers but more a celebration of the islands produce and peoples individual skills and creativity.
Libby and Alex have also managed to obtain some very good sponsors in the Cyprus Today newspaper and Polatkan Tourism, along with some of the big tourism sector groups such as the Tourist Guides Association, Travel Agencies and Hoteliers Unions, who can all offer a good supply of publicity to encourage people to attend the event, even if they are not planning to enter any of the classes. 
Obviously Essential Cyprus would also like to add to the list of people publicising the event too! Last year was such a success that the event is now being held over two days instead of just the previous one with attendance expected to be a lot more after the first events popularity.
So, if you are living in Northern Cyprus and fancy trying your hand at any of the classes you can pick up entry forms from any of the Lemar supermarkets, the Friday and Saturday markets and various other outlets. Alternatively you can download the entry forms via the shows website www.ozankoyflowershow.com. You can also call Alex Main on +90 (0)533 845 8278 or Libby Main on +90 (0)533 845 8279 for more information. 
The show is free entry for everyone, so if you are also here on holiday and fancy a day out why not pop along and enjoy the fun. We will be there and we will let you know how it all goes, as it should prove to be fun, educational, inspirational and above all else extremely popular.