FORMULA
1 - ISTANBUL
(every year)
Turkey holds its 2nd Formula 1 Grand Prix
in 2006. The spectacular 5.378 kilometer
track is designed by famed German
architect Herman Tilke, the man behind
Sepang, Bahrain and Shanghai, and features
14 turns – eight lefts and six rights
– with the cars reaching speeds of up to
320 kHz.
The Istanbul Racing Circuit is located on
the Asian side of Istanbul, approximately
90 kms from the city center. An unusual
feature of the venue is that the lap will
run anticlockwise, making the Turkish
Grand Prix only the third race on the
calendar to do so (San Marino and Brazil
are the other two). It possesses a wide
variety of corners, and while perhaps not
as technical as, say, Shanghai, it
definitely provides the drivers with real
challenge, especially given the reduced
down force available. Click
here for
F1 Tours.
other
upcoming events
Bald
Ibis Festival
Bilecik 8 May (every year)
Apparently the (very rare) kelaynak or bald ibis bird
comes punctually to Birecik on the eighth of May every
year. How a bird can be so precise seems a bit of a
mystery, but its coming provides plenty of opportunity for
local and international ornithologists to meet and
discourse on its life and habits. There's a breeding
centre there too.
Kirkpinar
Oiled Wrestling Festival
Edirne 24-30 June (every year)
The large stadium beside the town of Edirne on the
Greek-Turkish border is the location for this annual
summer wrestling festival, where over 1000 wrestlers come
to participate in the week-long "sudden
death"-style competition.
Kafkasor
Art and Culture Festival
Kafkasor 27-30 June (every year)
Don't be misled by the name - Kafkasor Festival is far
more than a simple demonstration of folklore and art.
Harking back to the time when the population migrated to
the plateaux, this event takes place in a temporary town
of large tents.
International
Istanbul Music Festival
Istanbul 4 June - 1 July (every year)
A series of diverse annual arts festivals has developed
over the last few decades to make Istanbul one of the
great festival cities of the world. For the International
Istanbul Music Festival, two main venues are used, the
Hagia Eirene Museum and the Ataturk Cultural Centre,
although visitors should make sure to attend a classical
or traditional music concert inside the 4th-century St
Irene's Church, the first ever to be built by Emperor
Constantine, one of many amazing heritage sites which come
into their own during the event.
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Devrek
Walking Stick and Culture Festival
Devrek 8-9 July (every year)
Whilst walking sticks may not be immediately obvious as
examples of fine workmanship and handicraft, they are in
fact one the best examples of quality woodwork Turkey has
to offer. Devrek is proud of its walking stick finesse and
every July shows them off with a festival.
Aspendos
Opera and Ballet Festival
Antalya 12 June - 17 July (every year)
Every summer, operas and ballets are performed in the
20,000-capacity Aspendos Antique Theatre in Antalya.
Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the 2000 year-old
amphitheatre (one of the largest in Turkey), resounds to
classical tunes at 11 performances in June and July,
attracting upwards of 80,000 people each year.
International
Istanbul Jazz Festival
Istanbul 4-20 July 2005 (every year)
The International Istanbul Jazz Festival offers a
remarkable variety of music performed in the lively venues
and clubs of the city. The event first took place in 1994
and since then big names have come here each summer to
play in some of the most incredible venues in the world.
Gombe
Mountain Market
Gombe 15 August - 5 September (every year)
Every year in late summer, the villagers from the Taurus
Mountains come together for this traditional market at
Gombe, 2000 metres above sea level, inland from the
popular tourist resorts of Kalkan, Marmaris and Fethiye.
Elmali
Oil Wrestling Festival
Elmali 3-5 September (every year)
Every year in September, the toughest Turkish boys take
each other on at Elmaly Oil Wrestling Festival, now over
600 years old. Elmaly is a little mountain town 2000
metres above sea level in the Taurus Mountains, inland
from the Turquoise Coast. The event takes place in the
large stadium which is signposted on arrival in the town.
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Mengen
Cookery Festival
Mengen 5-7 September (every year)
Ten tips for top aubergines? Fifty ways to stuff a pepper?
Mengen, in the southwest Marmara region of Turkey, devotes
two days every year to these and other such pressing
questions. If you've ever fancied improving your
Mediterranean cooking, this is the place to come.
International
Istanbul Fashion Fair
Istanbul 8-11 September (Starts 2nd Thu of every
Sep)
Istanbul, the second largest supplier of clothing to the
EU, launches its biannual international fashion fair this
September, showcasing trends for Spring/Summer 2004.
Atlantis
Waterpark
Marmaris 15 May - 14 September (every year)
Marmaris boasts a fun water park with five different
slides, including the Kamikaze and the Black Hole. There
is also a beach where a range of water sports are
available, along with a bowling alley, restaurant and bar.
Sivas
Congress Culture and Art Week
Sivas 16-22 September (every year)
Commemorating the Sivas Conference, a summit led by
Ataturk and one of the defining stages of the Turkish
Liberation War, this event shows off the best that the
town has to offer in the way of music, folklore and
theatre.
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Saklikent
Gorge
Saklikent 1 April - 30 September (every year)
Saklikent Gorge is a 20km-long canyon 40 minutes' drive
east of Fethiye on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. It is a
lovely place to come and while away an afternoon, and for
those with a more active frame of mind, it's an excellent
place to indulge in outdoor pursuits including canyoning,
hiking or rafting.
Butterfly
Valley
Olu Deniz 1 June - 30 September (every year)
The Butterfly Valley near Fethiye is a hidden gem of
Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Deep, steep and accessible only
by boat or via the Lycian Way walking trail, it is a
protected site because millions of butterflies - over 30
daytime species including the Jersey Tiger Moth and 40
noctural species - come here to breed between June and
September.
Bozburun
International Gulet Festival
Bozburun 2-4 October (every year)
Bozburun is the home of the gulet, the small seafaring
craft so popular with tourists. Production is concentrated
in this small village, and the festival aims to
demonstrate both the construction process itself and to
market the gulet on an international level.
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Halikarnas
Disco
Bodrum 2 May - 23 October (Throughout the summer
months)
Billed as the most amazing, beautiful and spectacular club
in the world (or at least the Mediterranean), Halikarnas
is a massive outdoor disco surrounded by pillars and palm
trees. Each night has something new and surprising in
store, from dancing girls in spangle costumes to hard
house, garage and techno from some of the world's leading
DJs.
Paragliding
over Olu Deniz
Olu Deniz 1 April - 31 October (every year)
Olu Deniz, on Turkey's Turquoise Coast near Dalaman, is
one of the world's best places to paraglide. Single or
tandem jumps are on the menu for adrenalin-seekers who
want a memory that will last a lifetime. The glide drops
2000 metres, offering views over the Xanthos Valley, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rafting
the Dalaman River
Akkopru 1 May - 31 October (every year)
Take to the waters of the Dalaman River and shout with
excitement one minute while negotiating the rapids,
catching your breath the next as you float calmly through
the canyons lining the Taurus Mountain river.
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Fasil
Cafe Rasit
Bodrum 1 May - 31 October (every year)
The famous Bar street is the busiest street in Bodrum and
packed full of tourists and nightclubs. Fasil Cafe Rasit
is a more traditional Turkish bar. Here you can take a
break from the house and garage sounds, indulge yourself
in some authentic Turkish music and marvel at the belly
dancing.
The
International Istanbul Biennial Festival
Istanbul 20 September - 16 November (every year)
Since 1987, Istanbul has hosted an International Art
Biennial Festival to encourage Turkish artists and offer
international artists, critics and curators the chance to
exchange inspiration and meet one another. The theme for
this, the 8th Biennal, is the apparently contradictory
notion of poetic justice.
St
Nicholas' Festival
Demre 6 December (every year)
The jolly old saint who was to become the rotund and
bearded incarnation of Christmas was once a fasting
ascetic-turned-bishop in fourth century Demre, Turkey.
Whirling
Dervishes Festival
Konya 10-17 December (every year)
The Commemorative Ceremony for Mevlana, the great Sufic
saint (1207-1273), is one of the world's greatest
spectacles. More than a million people descend on Konya,
the ancient Seljuk capital, for the festival of the
Whirling Dervishes.
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Istanbul
Book Fair
Istanbul 12-21 December (every year)
The 21st Istanbul Book Fair offers all kinds of books for
purchase or perusal. It's held at the state-of-the-art
Tuyap Istanbul Exhibition Palace.
Istanbul
Gift Fair
Istanbul 20-31 December (every year)
The 22nd annual Istanbul Gift Fair at the Tuyap Istanbul
Exhibition Palace offers a plethora of gift ideas just in
time for last-minute Christmas shopping.
To request more
information please email us at: info@myturkeytours.com
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