Istanbul is the most important center of festivals. In the summer months, a number of music festivals are held in Istanbul. Many are organized by and associated with prominent names in Turkey's private sector. Every year over 4.000 social dancers from 120 Countries attend to Istanbul Dance Festival (13th Anniversary in 2025) which promises an unforgettable week of dance with performances and workshops led by World-renowned artists from all around the World.
The Efes Pilsen Blues Festival, which celebrated its 10th year in 2006, hosts well-known blues and jazz groups. The Akbank International Jazz Festival provides the opportunity of improvisation and jam sessions between Turkish musicians and jazz masters of the world. The Yapฤฑ Kredi Art Festival with its concerts ranging from rock and roll and pop music to classical music and jazz is actually a series of events around the year. Fuji Film World Music Days is yet another important music festival.
ฤฐzmir is notable for hosting the oldest festival activity in Turkey, within the frame of multi-theme ฤฐzmir International Fair held in the first days of September, and organized by ฤฐZFAล, a depending company of ฤฐzmir Metropolitan Municipality. The musical and other cultural events that take place at the same time as the commercial fair had started out as an auxiliary activity to attract popular interest for the fair, but over the years the festival became a school by itself.
