Istanbul acts as a bridge between Europe and Asia and attracts tourists from all over the world. Thanks to the combination of the city's thousands of years of history and international popularity, festivals in Istanbul gain a unique identity. Getrentacar.com will give you an idea of the most fun festivals held in Istanbul during the regular tourist seasons.
Istanbul Shopping Festival
Scheduled: in June, from 8 to 25
Istanbul Shopping Fest is organized and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Governorship of Istanbul, Turkish Exporters Assembly, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and Istanbul Development Agency. You can shop at the Istanbul Shopping Festival with special discounts of famous brands. Istanbul Shopping Festival is the third festival that attracts the most attention, following shopping festivals in Dubai and Singapore. The festival is held at nine shopping malls and Grand Bazaar.
Istanbul Jazz Festival
Scheduled: from 25 June to 7 July
Istanbul Jazz Festival has been organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art for 23 years, and it aims not only to bring music lovers and artists together, but also it supports the works of Turkish artists. The festival is not limited to jazz music. Other different genres where electro music and join come together. Jazz, rock, pop, blues, reggae, funk and world music are also included in the festival.
Istanbul Coffee Festival
Scheduled: September 2022
Istanbul's Coffee Festival is about 4 days long, a kind of carnival, bringing coffee from all over the world to the coffee-lovers' taste. The festival is held in the KüçükÇiftlik Park venue, in Macka, close to Taksim. You can have a fantastic day out and taste coffee from many stands, as well as take part in coffee workshops, seminars, playground events and competitions.
Istanbul Annual Biennial
Scheduled: September 2022
Istanbul's International Biennial is about 2 months long international contemporary art biennial, organized by IKSV every two years. It is one of the best ones in the world, together with the ones in Venice, São Paulo and Sydney. Admission to the biennial is free. You will enjoy the most popular showcases of the contemporary art exhibition in over 30 venues throughout the city.
Istanbul Puppet Festival
Scheduled: October 2022
Istanbul Puppet Festival has been held every year since 1998, and it aims to make the puppet traditions more familiar and promote Turkish puppet tradition to the rest of the world. So far, Istanbul has hosted circa 300 puppet groups and over 2,500 puppeteers, and every year the festival offers new shows to puppet lovers. By attending the festival, you will get the chance to watch puppet shows from Russia, France, China, Hong Kong and many other places around the world. Besides enjoying puppet shows, you can join puppet-making workshops and make your own puppet.
Istanbul Theater Festival
Scheduled: November 2022
The 22nd Istanbul Theater Festival will be held in November 2018, and it aims to underline the similarities between different cultures and the common points of art among countries. Istanbul Theater Festival creates various education programs and supports them at the same time, and you can enjoy around 100 dance performances, other stage performances and theater performances from artists both abroad and Turkey. The plays are performed at 14 stages, most of which are on the European side.
Istanbul Book Fair
Scheduled: in December, from 10 to 18
Istanbul Book Fair is co-organized by TUYAP (Tuyap Fair Convention and Exhibition Center) and Turkish Publishers Association, and it is held every fall to meet book lovers. It was named "international" in 2005, but the festival was held in 2000 for the first time. The International Istanbul Book Fair is home to around 650 publishers from both abroad and Turkey, and half a million book lovers visit the fair every year. Besides buying books, visitors also have the chance to have an autograph of their favorite authors.
Istanbul Gastronomic Festival
Scheduled: December 2022
Istanbul's International Gastronomy Festival is a 3 days long festival for gastronomy and world cuisine lovers, organized by Cooks and Chefs Federation of Turkey, at the Eyup Culture & Art Center in the Eyup district of Istanbul. It is also a joint organization with the World Association of Chef Societies (WACS). Visitors may find and taste the world's different tastes together with Turkish cuisine. It also offers a competition by bringing new chefs in gastronomy and chefs from around the world and Turkey, about over 2000 chefs from 30 countries.
