05.10.2025 15:30
Turkey has launched the 2025-2026 Cultural-Art Season with the vision of "Art Everywhere." In the new season, 7,000 events and 45,000 artists will meet with art enthusiasts. Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy introduced the new season at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center. He stated, "Stages will rise all over Turkey, exhibitions will open, and concerts will resonate." He also noted that the Turkey Culture Road Festival has gained the status of being the largest in the world.
Turkey has opened the doors to a new era in its cultural and artistic life. The 2025-2026 Culture-Art Season began with the vision of "Art Everywhere." In the new season, which will bring together 7,000 events and 45,000 artists, the heart of art will beat all over Turkey. Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy introduced the 2025-2026 Culture-Art season at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center. Stating that they opened the new season with the vision of "Art Everywhere," Ersoy said, "Stages will rise all over Turkey, exhibitions will open, and our concerts will resonate."
WE WILL BRING MILLIONS TOGETHER WITH THE MAGIC OF ART
Emphasizing that the new season is not just an art calendar but also the strongest indicator of Turkey's rising cultural vision on the international stage, Ersoy pointed out that the AKM hosted 2.5 million art lovers and that 2,390 events were held just last year. Ersoy stated, "AKM has become the first address that comes to mind when culture and art are mentioned in the center of Istanbul." He also noted that the CSO Ada in Ankara hosted nearly 300,000 viewers in the past art year, expressing that the structure, which had been idle for 30 years, has now transformed into a venue "associated with art, not problems."
Stating that AKM and CSO Ada will be the locomotive venues of the Turkey Culture Road Festival in the new season, Ersoy said they will bring millions together with the magic of art through thousands of events ranging from stages to exhibitions, concerts to festivals.
CULTURE ROAD FESTIVAL HAS TURNED INTO THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD
Pointing out the development of the Turkey Culture Road Festival since its inception, Ersoy stated, "I can easily say that the Turkey Culture Road Festival has gained the status of being the largest in the world in its field." He noted that this year, nearly 7,000 events will be organized with the participation of 45,000 artists in more than 1,000 venues across 20 cities, and that the festival will reach 26 cities in 2026 and 32 cities in 2027.
Ersoy emphasized that next year, Aydın, Eskişehir, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin, Ordu, and Sakarya will also be added to the festival calendar, and that in 2027, Balıkesir, Denizli, Hatay, Kocaeli, Muğla, and Tekirdağ will be included in the festival program. Minister Ersoy added that "An Anatolian Festival" and "Living Heritage Festivals" will continue all over Turkey.
HISTORICAL RECORD IN THEATRE, NEW PEAK IN OPERA AND BALLET
Recalling that the State Theatres increased the number of stages to 59 in 2024 and reached over 2 million 269 thousand spectators, surpassing 75-year records, Ersoy announced that the curtains will open with 64 stages in the new season, and that this number will be increased to 70 by the end of the season.
Emphasizing that the State Opera and Ballet reached over 703,000 spectators with more than 1,200 performances in the 2024-2025 art season, Ersoy pointed out the great interest by stating, "Tickets for each of the 52 performances staged for The Nutcracker sold out in just 45 seconds!"