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One of the three European capitals of culture this year, Istanbul has passed the halfway point of its tenure, having hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors at a variety of festivals.
The 29th International Istanbul Film Festival, which screened 218 films from 57 countries and held eight courses and discussions on cinema during a two-week period, played host to over 150,000 film lovers.
Some 24,000 people also participated in the 17th International Istanbul Theater Festival, during which nine theater and dance groups from abroad and 30 plays from Turkey were performed. The one-month festival featured 90 shows at 18 different venues, talks and workshops.
Meanwhile, the 38th International Istanbul Music Festival was viewed by 20,000 people and featured 21 concerts from more than 600 national and international artists, including Arvo Pärt, Lang Lang and one of the most important orchestras in classical music, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
From July 1 to 20, the 17th International Istanbul Jazz Festival turned Istanbul into a city of jazz with more than 50 concerts and 300 artists from Turkey and throughout the world, drawing the attendance of more than 45,000 jazz lovers.
The 20-day festival hosted art lovers at the Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theater, the Archaeology Museum, the Hagia Irene Museum, Istanbul Modern, İstinye Park, Salon, Sepetçiler Kasrı and The Marmara Esma Sultan. The festival also featured the Jazz Boat and Tünel Festivity for the first time.
In the first weekends of the festival 21 concerts were organized at eight different venues as well as on two main stages in Tünel and Galata squares. Drawing great interest from the people of Istanbul, the Tünel Festivity entertained some 15,000 people until the early hours of the morning.
Following the festivals, events will continue in Istanbul. Among these, the 6th Leyla Gencer Singing Competition will be organized in collaboration with La Scala Theater Stage and Visual Arts Academy Foundation from Aug. 21 to 26 in Istanbul.
As part of its 360° Tour, one of the world's most recognized bands, U2, will perform at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Sept. 6. The concert will be the largest stadium concert in Turkish history.
Meanwhile, Filmekimi will present the year's most notable films for the enjoyment of Istanbul's film aficionados between Oct. 8 and 14.
Also, the conceptual frame of another art event, the 12th International Istanbul Biennial, will be launched by curators Adriano Pedrosa and Jens Hoffmann in October.
