News & Upcoming events in Turkey 2005

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Formula 1 2005 – Istanbul

As Turkey has taken place in 2005 World Formula 1 Championship calendar, 21st August 2005 was announced by FIA as the official date of Istanbul Grand Prix start. Turkish officials say F1 supreme Bernie Ecclestone has chosen Istanbul over Izmir and Antalya as the venue for a Turkish Grand Prix. German architect Hermann Tilke, who designed the track at Sepang in Malaysia, is expected to complete his plans by March.

PEPSI ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL ISTANBUL 2005

Turkey’s number one electronic and alternative music radio station FG 93.7 and Pepsi the innovator brand in the cola world are holding Turkey’s one and only electronic music festival Pepsi Electronica Festival Istanbul 2005. Being held on 9-10th September 2005 in Park Orman, Istanbul Pepsi EFI 2005 will uplift the electronic music lovers with 60 DJs and 10 live acts performing 100 hours of non-stop music at 8 stages. The first EFI was held last year on June 4 at Park Orman and over 12.000 visitors attended. The festival received much attention with 12 live acts and 42 DJs performing at 4 stages for 18 hours of non-stop music. This year the festival is expecting 20.000 visitors.                                                                                    Visit www.futuregeneration.net for more information.

Other Upcoming Events

Bald Ibis Festival
Bilecik 8 May 2005 (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 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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. 

Devrek Walking Stick and Culture Festival 
Devrek 8-9 July 2005 (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 2005 tbc (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 tbc (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 2005 (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.

Elmaly Oil Wrestling Festival
Elmaly 3-5 September 2005 tbc (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. 

Mengen Cookery Festival
Mengen 5-7 September 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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.

Saklikent Gorge
Saklikent 1 April - 30 September 2005 (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 2005 (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 2005 tbc (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.

Halikarnas Disco
Bodrum 2 May - 23 October 2005 tbc (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 2005 (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 2005 (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. 

Fasil Cafe Rasit
Bodrum 1 May - 31 October 2005 (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 2005 tbc (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 2005 (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 2005 tbc (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.

Istanbul Book Fair
Istanbul 12-21 December 2005 tbc (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 2005 tbc (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.