Festival fever is hotting up and it’s not just because of rising weather temperatures in London. After a four-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, The Mid Summer Ball is back with two big events on the same day.
A total of 19 artists will be performing everything from Garage to House, Soul, Funk, Rap, Afro and Bashment on The Mid Summer Ball (MSB) Stage at the Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival in Enfield on Sunday 2 July.
The MSB festival line-up boasts stellar names of Turkish Cypriot origin including DJ Eren (Abdullah), Ramsey, and Café432 (aka Mr Jones), MCs such as MC Sel and Edski, and live PAs courtesy of chart-topping singer Eylem, new talent TruBlue and former X-Factor finalist Havva. There’s also a special celebrity appearance by actor Tamer Hassan.
Their contemporary flavours compliment the more traditional Turkish Cypriot entertainment on the main stage, which this year is being headlined by Turkish Cypriot popstar Işın Karaca. She will be joined by Ali ‘Babutsa’ Sönmez, folk band Gazi Set, singer Memzee, and Turkish Cypriot folk dancers.
The festival includes stalls selling traditional Turkish Cypriot arts, crafts and food, a fun fair, a children’s area and more, ensuring there is something for all the family at this all-day outdoor event.
As soon as the festival is over, the MSB dance crew will be heading across the North London borough of Enfield to the Country Club Trent Park for part 2: a five-hour afterparty with the likes of DJ Fen, DJ Woody and DJ Pioneer.
T-VINE caught up with J Junior, aka Hassan Redif, a DJ and the co-founder and promoter of The Mid Summer Ball, to ask him about this year’s events.
We start by taking a step back in time to how the dance party ended up at this annual British Turkish Cypriot community festival.
How has The MidSummer Ball ended up having a stage at the Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival?
CTCA (the Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations – the UK’s largest umbrella group for Turkish Cypriots) asked me to help them by bringing something to the festival that would appeal to young people. Their event had been running for a few years and it was great for traditional Turkish Cypriot culture, but there’s more to our community than that.
The Midsummer Ball was launched in North Cyprus back in 2005 by myself and Ramsey, and it’s had a mostly Turkish Cypriot following ever since.
I thought having a second stage at the [Turkish Cypriot Cultural] Festival would work, but we didn’t really know what to expect when we did the first event with CTCA in 2019. In the end, the turnout was great; I think CTCA doubled their festival attendance that year, somewhere in the region of 25,000 people.
The MidSummer Ball stage went down really well – there was a huge crowd in front of our stage throughout the entire day. All the DJs and artists really enjoyed themselves, and so did everyone else that attended.
What was your highlight of the 2019 Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival?
There was a really great atmosphere at the festival. My highlight of the day was probably seeing Turkish Cypriots, young and old, coming together, having fun and making it a really special occasion.
What can people expect at this year’s MSB Stage?
The Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival is not just an event for Turkish Cypriots; it’s for people of every colour and every race. So, like 2019, we will again see a diverse crowd, a mixture of nationalities coming to the event. I think people will bring their friends to experience Turkish Cypriot culture, while also getting The Midsummer Ball experience.
This year’s line-up includes some fresh artists that have never performed at any Midsummer Ball events. I think you can expect positive energy and good vibes from the Midsummer Ball stage and a whole heap of fun.
Who’s on the MSB line-up?
The usual golden oldy suspects: Café 432 AKA Mr Jones, DJ Eren, DJ Ramsey, Mix Master Max. I wouldn’t put myself in the ‘golden oldies’ camp just yet! [J laughs out loud].
PAs, we have Eylem, Havva, TruBlue, Le Pash – all four will be making their Midsummer Ball festival debut.
What does it mean to you and the MSB artists to perform at the Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival?
I think it’s a massive thing for them. Every artist that I called and asked if they would like to perform said “yes”; they were really happy to support and perform to their people. We are all excited and looking forward to the event.
You’re also doing an after party this year. Tell us about that?
When the 2019 festival finished at 8pm, lots of people was asking what’s happening after, so this year we’ve decided to put on an after-party at the Trent Park Country Club – a really nice venue not too far from the festival’s grounds.
It means we can carry on the party and all the volunteers and artists who’ve been working at the festival can also have a drink and a dance.
A fair few of the festival artists will be performing at the afterparty, along with some special guests like Kiss FM’s Pioneer and DJ Woody.
It’s been like a decade since the last MSB in Cyprus? Are you planning a return to the island?
Yes, it has been nearly a decade since the last MidSummer Ball in Cyprus. The good news is we are back for a big bash at Club La Nouba in Girne on 18 August.
It’s an amazing venue and works perfectly for the MidSummer Ball. Expect a big artist line-up will high profile performers.
Beat the queues, buy advance tickets for both the Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival (£5) and afterparty at Country Club Trent Park (£10), available online from Eventbrite. See below for details.
Festival Details
Title: Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival
Date: Sunday 2 July 2023
Time: 11am to 8pm
Venue: Enfield Playing Fields, Donkey Lane, Enfield, London EN1 3PL
Admission: pre-event online ticket entry is just £5, more on the door – subject to availability.
Entry to the festival is free for children under the age of 6. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Car parking at the festival grounds is possible but there are limited spaces, so to guarantee yours, please book your parking ticket at the same time as your festival entry ticket.
Tickets: £5 entry + booking fee and £5 car parking, both available from Eventbrite – click here
Afterparty Details
Title: MidSummer Ball Festival Afterparty
Date: Sunday 2 July 2023
Time: 8.30pm to 1am
Venue: Country Club Trent Park, Bramley Road, Oakwood, London N14 4UW
Admission: Strictly 18+ ID needed at the door (no ID, no entry). Dress code: no caps and no man bags
Tickets: £10 + booking fee from Eventbrite – click here
