The Beyoglu Culture Route Festival

The Beyoglu Cultural Route Festival brings excitement to this popular district with a panoply of cultural programming. This must-experience festival celebrates Beyoglu’s unique heritage and values from the 28th of May to the 12th of June 2022. Free entertainment, workshops, and exhibitions also showcase the revitalization and new investments in this special area of Istanbul.

Where is Beyoglu?

The Beyoglu municipality is centrally located on the European side of Istanbul. It is across from the historic peninsula and the eastern shore of the Golden Horn borders it until it reaches the Karakoy and Kabatas area on the Bosphorus. It is made up of forty-five distinct neighborhoods and the Beyoglu Culture Route focuses on some of the highlights of the district spanning from Taksim Square to Galata. Visit such popular neighborhoods as Cihangir, Pera, and Gumusuyu while exploring all that the festival has to offer.

Follow the Beyoglu Culture Route

Map out hours of entertainment, art, and cultural activities starting your route at the Ataturk Cultural Center all the way to Galata Tower and the sleek new cruise ship hub, Galataport. Other key venues along the route include Gezi Park, Misir Apartment, Galata Dervish Lodge, St Antuan Church, Atlas Cinema, Tophane-i Amire Arts and Culture Center, and the historic post office. The best way to visit it is to tour by foot as the organizers set it up as a pedestrian route.

Exhibition Highlights of Beyoglu Culture Route Festival

The Ataturk Cultural Center in Taksim hosts works by Refik Anadol entitled Rumi Dreams to commemorate the 750th anniversary of Rumi’s passing. This immersive AI data experience includes over 150 hours of Sufi music and over 180,000 images of ancient scripts and dervish lodges.

Galataport has an exhibition of the marvelous ceramic works by Fureya Koral with coffee tables and stools made in the 1960s for the Grand National Assembly in Ankara.

Opposite Galatasaray High School, you can view the fine works of Ottoman landscape artist, Hoca Ali Riza. Close by, Beyoglu Art Galery on Istiklal St has the exceptional works of artist and poet Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu.

Check the calendar for live music and workshops for all tastes.

Immerse yourself in the street culture, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.  During the festival’s span over 1500 events will be held. Aiming to bring together the architecture, gastronomy, history, cinema, musical and artistic heritage with its 40 venues, 62 halls, 3 open-air stages, 15 street stages, 4 street events, and participation of 53 culture and art institution stakeholders and 4953 artists, this festival is not to be missed.

People of all ages and interests should visit the Beyoglu Cultural Route, check out the official website to choose your favorite activities.