Gönyeli-Alayköy Municipality cancels the remaining events of GABFEST 2026

Gönyeli-Alayköy Municipality (Alayköy) in Northern Cyprus has cancelled all remaining events of the GABFEST 2026 city festival. The eight-week programme opened on 21 August and was scheduled to run until 3 October, but it was brought to an early close following the sinking of a vessel off Kyrenia.

Gönyeli-Alayköy Mayor Hüseyin Amcaoğlu said the decision was made after consultations with members of the municipal council and administrative staff. According to him, in the first days after the disaster, the municipality suspended programmes and postponed scheduled events, while the search for those still missing continues.

“No organisation, concert or event is more important than the pain we are experiencing,” Amcaoğlu said. He noted that weeks of preparation and a great deal of work had gone into the festival, and thanked the performers, organisers, sponsors and partner organisations for their understanding.

“Our priority today is not entertainment, but sharing the pain, waiting for the missing to be found and standing by their families,” the mayor added. He expressed his condolences to the relatives of those who died and wished their families patience and strength.

GABFEST is organised by Gönyeli-Alayköy Municipality, and this year the festival was planned to run for eight weeks. The programme included 3×3 street basketball, a children’s festival, a youth festival and countryside walks. Earlier, the Kyrenia district administration cancelled, until further notice, permits for music and events at bars, cafés and restaurants.