Istanbul to Host Nine-Day Cultural Route Festival
Istanbul to Host Nine-Day Cultural Route Festival
From September 26 to October 4, Istanbul will host the "Türkiye Culture Route Festival", bringing concerts, exhibitions, theatre and ballet performances, workshops and gastronomic events to venues across the city.
The festival is organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It was first held in 2021 under the name "Beyoğlu Culture Route" and will take place in Istanbul for the sixth time this year.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Istanbul is viewed not simply as a festival venue, but as a cultural route in its own right, bringing together traces of different civilizations, beliefs and cultures.
Istanbul is a unique city that brings together the traces of different civilizations, beliefs and cultures, allowing the past and present to coexist.
According to Ersoy, the festival's history began in Beyoğlu in 2021, while Istanbul now hosts it as the 20th stop of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival series.
For nine days, squares, museums, historic buildings, concert venues and different districts of Istanbul will become locations for cultural and artistic events.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to Open the Festival
The opening concert will be performed by the British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Turkish Telekom Opera Hall of the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM).
The programme will also feature the National Arab Orchestra, which combines classical and contemporary interpretations of Arabic music with orchestral traditions, as well as "Carmina Burana", a performance by the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, concerts by pianist and composer Büşra Kayıkçı and the İncesaz group, and a performance by the Presidential Classical Turkish Music Choir.
The eighth Istanbul International Folk Music Festival will also be part of the programme.
Free concerts at Galataport will feature Özcan Deniz, Oğuzhan Koç, Murat Boz, Kıraç, Simge, Poizi, Bengü, Ceza and Bayhan.
The AKM Turkish Telekom Open-Air Stage will host performances by Aydilge, Resul Dindar, Poizi, Oğuzhan Koç, Derya Uluğ and Motive.
Ballet, Exhibitions and Children's Events
The performing arts programme will include the "Stanislavsky Ballet Gala" at the AKM Theatre Hall. Its artistic direction will be handled by the team that participated in last year's Bolshoi Ballet Festival.
The programme will also include "Swan Lake", "Carmen", "Delirium", "The Abduction from the Seraglio", "Cinderella" and "There Is Actually No Spoon". Musical and opera performances for children will also be held during the festival.
The AKM Gallery will present the exhibition "Three Artists: Alaettin Aksoy, Mehmet Güleryüz, Komet", featuring works from the Taviloğlu Collection.
Exhibitions, lectures, a photo marathon, karaoke, children's activities and workshops will take place at the Tophane-i Amire Cultural and Art Center, Rami Library, Büyük Çamlıca Mosque, Tarık Zafer Tunaya Cultural Center, Taksim Mosque Cultural and Art Center and various museums across Istanbul.
Gastronomic Routes Across Istanbul
The festival's gastronomic programme will explore Istanbul's culinary heritage, from restaurants with centuries of history to street food.
The routes will connect different parts of the city, from Beyoğlu to Moda, from the Bosphorus to Şile and from Eminönü to Sarıyer.
Programmes in Beyoğlu, Galata, Karaköy, Istanbul's historic center, Fatih, Beşiktaş, İstinye, Kanlıca, Beykoz, Şile and Moda in Kadıköy will be led by chefs, academics and content creators, including Vedat Başaran, Maksut Aşkar, Emre Şen, Oğuz Yenihayat, Özge Samancı, Aylin Öney Tan and Kübra Yüzüncüyl.
The festival will therefore cover a wide range of Istanbul districts, bringing together music, performing and visual arts, workshops, children's programmes and gastronomic events at cultural institutions, historic sites, city squares and local neighborhoods.
Source: MK-Turkey.
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