The European Capital of Culture (ECOC) is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. Istanbul will have the honor of being the 2010 European Capital of Culture. Through various activities and festive celebrations held on 16 January 2010 in seven different centres of the city, Istanbul celebrated its new title as 2010 ECOC.

The contemporary artist from all over the world prefers to live in Istanbul not only because the city joins Asia and Europe but also because this city synthesizes Eastern and Western norms, the old and the new, traditionalism with modernism and the universal and the local. Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events are organized at home and abroad with full speed. The city will host over 400 events during the year 2010.

ISTANBUL... The most inspiring city in the world…
By 2010 ISTANBUL will be a city where dreams will be made real

The activities of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture :

International Istanbul Music Festival

The 38th International Istanbul Music Festival will take place between June 03-30, 2010.

Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, this annual event is one of the biggest festivals of its kind in Turkey. Since it was first held in 1973, the popular International Istanbul Music Festival has presented an exciting programme of opera and classical musical performances by artists and groups of regional, national and international repute.

With a selection of various historic sites in Istanbul like the Hagia Eirene, the Archeological Museum, Topkapı Palace, Lütfi Kırdar Convention & Exhibition Centre and the Süreyya Opera House as concert venues; 38th International Istanbul Music Festival contributes to the growing appreciation for cultural heritage in Turkey.

In 1992, the Foundation was awarded the "Trophée Internationale des Arts et de la Culture" by Institut International de Promotion et de Prestige of UNESCO.

International Istanbul Jazz Festival

The 17th International Istanbul Jazz Festival will take place between July 1-20, 2010. Each year the International Istanbul Jazz Festival treats music lovers to a packed two-week programme of jazz concerts. Taking place in various venues around the city, the festival always attracts large crowds made up of jazz fans from Turkey and beyond. Each year, the festival awards a “'Lifetime Achievement Award' to one of the old jazz masters for their contribution to the world of music. Over the years, the festival has welcomed many jazz legends to the stage with past performers including such greats as Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Stan Getz, Ornette Coleman and Youssou N'Dour.

The International Istanbul Jazz Festival presents a remarkable variety of music, ranging from traditional and contemporary jazz to rock, electronica and world music. But, it's jazz in particular that is performed by big names at venues all over the city.

The Cranberries

Irish indie rock band The Cranberries will perform two concerts in Istanbul and Çeşme in July 2010.

The Cranberries are an irish alternative rock band from Limerick, Ireland that formed in 1989. The group was one of the most successful rock acts of the '90s and sold over 14.5 million albums in the United States alone. The band has achieved four top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart and eight top 20 singles on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

"Zombie", "Ridiculous Thoughts", "Ode To My Family", "Linger", "Animal Instincts" almost anywhere in the world with legendary tracks such as the heart of millions of people who play music with incredible sound and Dolores O'Riordan'ın all of us who captured the spirit of their nearly THE CRANBERRIES, UNILIFE by organizations.

Concerts will be held on July 22 and 23 July in Turkey in the hearts of fans and after 7 years to re-conquer.

Royal Spectacle Dance Show

Inspired by the Ottoman era, the Royal Spectacle offers dance performances featuring the army, the Sultan and his court in Sultanahmet Square...

The Royal Spectacle (Sultan-ı Seyirlik) project is a stunning open-air show inspired by the Ottoman era and supported by miniature visuals. Royal Spectacle shows were quite significant during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz who is remembered as the most entertainment-devoted member of the Ottoman Royal house; and particularly famous with his interest in wrestling.

The show starts with a magnificent entrance of the Ottoman army and cavalry with the Mehter squad and then the Sultan and his court into the Sultanahmet Square where the Royal Court will enjoy several open- air shows while the ordinary people too will be watching the spectacle from an angle allocated for the audience.

As a project within the scope of Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture events, the Royal Spectacle will involve dancers and actors to revive the Ottoman style with modern dance patterns. The project will be realized in 2010 Ramadan period in Sultanahmet Square with joyous public participation just as in old times but with further enriched activities.

Event date: 11 Aug - 30 Sep 2010
Venue: Sultanahmet Square

Tales of Future

Turning the Bosphorus into a giant auditorium…

"Tales of Future" is a set of multimedia concert activities that combine music and technology in an innovative approach by including an installation project aiming at establishing a metaphor between the acoustic potential of the Bosphorus and local percussion instruments; and the music album “Tales of Future” by Sinan Bökesoy. A significant feature of this project is the Robot arms which will be engineered specifically for this project to play local percussion instruments for “live” performances.

The target of the installation project is to listen to the Bosphorus and to present it a new audio-visual experience with the percussion instrument set played by the robot arms and processed sound resources. Every metropolis owns a peculiar acoustic character to reflect the daily life in the city. Istanbul is quite rich in this respect and its acoustic identity is formed by many sound resources.

The acoustic experience in Bosphorus is quite different as it functions like a giant auditorium. For instance the blowing whistles of the boats passing through the Bosphorus glimpse an impressive effect transcending itself to pose a metaphor and turns into a living acoustic character of Istanbul.

The system to be installed for the project will analyze the sound on the Bosphorus over the Internet and will turn them into a robot performance to be realized with percussion instruments.

Event date: 20 September 2010
Venue: Çırağan Palace

EVENTS IN TURKEY

Butterfly Valley Breeding Season

Butterfly Valley is home to the unique Jersey Tiger butterfly. Between April and June, butterflies in thousands of colours and countless varieties can be seen here. This valley is an interesting canyon with steep cliffs up to 350 meters high and stretches back from the cove some 3-4 kilometers.

Pack your tent and take a boat across the aquamarine waters of the Ölüdeniz lagoon to watch clouds of butterflies flutter across south-western Turkey's protected Butterfly Valley. No wonder the pretty winged insects choose to breed here every year.

Construction is prohibited, so camp overnight or stay in the tree-houses provided. Look out for the beautiful black-and-white-striped Jersey Tiger Moth, as well as the gushing waterfalls and the wide range of plant life. Keep noise levels to a minimum, take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints.

Hillside Su - SunSplash Antalya Festival

Sunsplash Antalya is back!
The second Sunsplash Antalya Music Festival will take place between May 23-30, 2010.

An exclusive week of sun, sea and legendary music in Turkey’s funkiest hotel. Sunsplash Antalya is back! Last year’s debut proved to be a massive hit and our 2010 session promises to be even hotter. Fantastic music, sunshine and party people in a ridiculously beautiful location: the boutique (500 capacity) music festival returns to the amazing 5 star design hotel Hillside Suon Antalya’s Mediterranean Turquoise coast. Antalya Sunsplash takes place 23-30 May, 2010.

SunSplash Antalya, Turkey’s fabulously boutique music festival returns to the stunning Mediterranean coast. Styling itself more as a “private party” than a large festival, SunSplash Antalya takes place in the grounds of the luxurious Hillside Su Hotel. Designed to within an inch of its life, the achingly chic Hillside Su affords guests spectacular rooms with views, a beach-front location, large gym and sporting facilities. There is also great cuisine – the sushi to die for, daily yoga and a world-class spa to relax in after working out on the dance floor. This may well be the healthiest festival you ever attend and hopefully not a raindrop in sight!

SunSplash Antalya brings together some of the UK’s and Turkey’s most influential DJs and musicians to provide the perfect musical accompaniment to a week of chilled out beach days, sunset beach parties, evening club sessions and to top it all; there wont be a single queue or moody bouncer in sight!

Providing the music over the week-long duration will be Gilles Peterson, Norman Jay, Phil Asher, Rainer Truby, Manasseh, Simbad, DJ Cliffy (Batmacumba), Lefto, the bPm and adding a twist of the orient, local offerings include Ahu, Baris K, Dearhead and Fuchs from Istanbul’s award winning Dinamo FM. And, headlining the live stage will be the sonic hurricane that is Jamie Lidell, unleashing brand new material from his forthcoming album.

Against the stunning backdrop of the Taurus Mountains, Hillside Su offers affordable accommodation without compromising on style or service. Designed in the dynamic minimalist style of the ‘60s, six enormous disco balls dominate the impressive lobby and all-white architecture acts as a blank canvas washed over by multi-coloured injections of lighting.

No more sleeping in your wellies and queuing for grim showers... this place has a world class spa, private beach, and a sushi bar!

Rafting on the Dalaman River

Rafting is one of the exciting, adventured outdoor sport. When you flow on the river with your boat, you will reach to summit of your exciting. Besides, you will have satisfaction to watch unique panaroma of canyons. Especially, to have lunch can’t be described in middle of beatiful natural views. Shortly, you will have an excellent time in rafting.

The fast flowing rivers of the Toros mountains foam with white water, especially at snow melt in spring. 6-10 person rafts and two seater canoes are available at the Dalaman rivers. After basic instruction, paddle practice takes place on a quiet stretch, before the rafts turn their noses to the swooping standing waves.

Take to the waters of the Dalaman River and shout with excitement one minute while negotiating the rapids, catching your breath the next as you float calmly through the canyons lining the Taurus Mountain river.

Trips are available each day between May and October at the Dalaman River, subject to weather in the spring.

Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival

Between 08 June – 01 July 2010

Every summer, operas and ballets are performed in the 20,000 capacity Aspendos Amphitheatre in Antalya as part of the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the 2000-year-old amphitheatre resounds to classical tunes, attracting thousands of spectators.

Organised by the Turkish Culture Ministry's State Opera and Ballet Directorate, the programme has included Verdi's Aida, Orff's Carmina Burana and Puccini's Tosca, with the participation of prominent companies such as Istanbul's State Opera and Ballet Company and Antalya's State Opera and Ballet Company.

Aspendos is renowned throughout the world for its magnificent ancient amphitheatre. It was designed during the 2nd century A.D. by the architect Zeno, son of Theodore. The theatre at Aspendos is also famous for its magnificent accoustics. Even the slightest sound made at the centre of the stage can be easily heard as far as the uppermost galleries.