Turkey has a place for national holidays, Muslim traditions, and celebrations borrowed from Europeans. The largest number of them falls during the holiday season. All holidays are celebrated on a constant scale and always delight tourists with entertainment and vivid memories.
New Year
The secular part of the population celebrates the European New Year in Turkey, celebrations are held in major cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, resorts. Christmas trees are decorated everywhere, families gather at home for a festive table. Garlands are hung on the streets and fireworks are set off. This means that there is also a New Year in Turkey and it is getting brighter every year, because the number of foreign residents in Turkey is only increasing.
Tulip Festival
The most popular holiday among tourists is the Tulip Festival in Istanbul, which starts in early April and lasts a month. Hundreds of varieties of tulips color the streets of the city, turning it into a fantastic place.
Youth Day
Youth and Sports Day is celebrated on May 19. Major cities, including resorts, take part in the festivities: contests, sports competitions are organized here, an air show is held in the city of Samsun. In general, they celebrate on a grand scale.
Sea Festival
In Marmaris, the International Maritime Festival and Yachting Festival are held annually in late April — early May. Dozens of vessels from different countries participate in it — passenger, cargo, military, training, and rare. It is especially interesting to see the performance of warships. The atmosphere is chic and fascinating.
International Art Festival
In the first half of summer, it is worth going to the International Art Festival in Izmir. It has been held for several decades in a row. Opera, ballet, drama, vocal groups, orchestras — all kinds of arts are represented at such an event. Every year the organizers prepare new surprises for the guests of the festival. It is worth a visit if you are near Izmir at this time.
Tango Festival
A tango Festival takes place in Bodrum in June and July. You can learn to dance Latin American dances, participate in master classes, watch demonstrations of famous dancers, attend parties. Here you will get unforgettable emotions and impressions.
Khoja Nasreddin Festival
The most fun festival is invariably the holiday of Khoja Nasreddin, which is held on July 5-10 in Akshehir, Konya region. The main character of Turkish folklore arrives on a donkey, festival guests ask him questions and watch theatrical productions based on the adventures of Khoja.It’s fun, exciting, and spectacular.
Kadyrga Festival
One of the most significant summer festivals is held on the Kadyrga plateau, near the town of Tonya. Dancing, folk music, songs, the opportunity to participate in ancient rituals and learn ancient customs, dress up in traditional costumes and taste national dishes — all this can be done at the festival, which takes place for three days in the third week of July.
Shopping Fest
Turkey will also delight shoppers. So in the summer a big Shopping Fest is held in Istanbul. Its date changes from year to year, but it invariably falls at the end of spring — the first half of summer. During such a festival, it is simply impossible to pass by shops — large discounts are offered by small boutiques and well-known shopping centers (by the way, the latter work around the clock during the festival). An entertainment program is also added to the pleasant prices: contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, etc.
Santa Claus Festival
Not far from Antalya, from September 2 to September 7, the Santa Claus Festival is organized, which takes place in Kash-Demre. Christian Saint Nicholas, the prototype of Santa Claus, was born in Turkey, and during this period families with children from all over the world come here.
Watermelon Festival
Lovers of goodies can pay attention to the watermelon festival in Diyarbakir in November. At the festival, you can see and taste watermelons of different varieties and types, but also see how the winner of the competition for the largest striped berry will be chosen.
Sheb-i-Aruz Festival
A significant winter event is the Mevlana Festival, or Sheb-i-Aruz (Festival of Rotating Dervishes). A dance show where each dance is three hours of continuous rotation, so it really attracts thousands of tourists. You can see a fantastic spectacle every year from December 10 to December 17 in Konya.
Sand Sculpture Festival
Tourists vacationing in Antalya can visit the International Sand Sculpture Festival Sandland. There is an exposition on Lara Beach all year round, the creation of which took 10,000 tons of bulk material. So every year the theme of the exhibition changes, for example, the theme of 2020 is legends.
