Since its launch, the Türkiye Culture Route Festival has hosted more than 6,800 events, helping bring traditional arts and flavors back into the spotlight.
Initiated by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2021 with the Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival, the project has grown over five years into one of the world’s largest cultural events. Starting with 380 events across 80 venues and over 2,000 artists in its first year, the festival has now featured more than 45,000 artists in over 6,800 programs at more than 1,000 venues.
Supporting a wide range of disciplines from culture and art to sports and music, the festival also plays a key role in promoting traditional crafts and local cuisines that have nearly been forgotten.
Revitalizing local economies in the cities it visits, the Türkiye Culture Route Festival also provides an important source of income for local businesses. From woodcarving to marbling, filigree to stonework, calligraphy to fabric dyeing and felt making, the festival showcases the rich cultural heritage of Anatolia.
Among the regional delicacies introduced at the festival are Antalya’s registered local dishes such as piyaz, pumpkin dessert, börek and citrus jams made from bitter orange and bergamot peels. Long-forgotten dishes like fish stew with sour sauce, cive, milk bulgur and milk pumpkin soup are also being brought back to public attention.
The festival, which has been accepted into the European Festivals Association, was held in 20 cities this year. It will expand to 26 cities in 2026 and 32 in 2027 with the addition of Balıkesir, Denizli, Hatay, Kocaeli, Muğla and Tekirdağ.
The event boosts hotel occupancy rates in participating cities while contributing to the revival of local crafts, gastronomy and cultural life.
Selim Terzi, general director of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, said during the Antalya leg of the event that the festival has become a global brand.
“We organize a wide range of activities and the festival plays a major role in bringing forgotten tastes and crafts to light,” he told state-run Anadolu Agency, noting that the project is one of Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy’s key cultural initiatives.
“The Culture Route Festival is a well-designed project. It creates wide opportunities to highlight traditional arts and reintroduce dishes that were once only eaten at home but not served in restaurants,” Terzi said.
He added that since Antalya is a tourism city, they have also focused on international events. “We attract a large number of foreign visitors. The Culture Route Festival offers a rich program for everyone to enjoy. We also share event details on our website and social media, which helps draw foreign interest,” he said.
The Antalya Culture Route Festival, which began on Nov. 1, continues with 517 events across 67 venues, featuring exhibitions, installations, concerts, children’s programs, gastronomy and digital art.
