Istanbul Guide

24

Month by Month

2 Chill-Out Festival Featuring a concept stage, cultural and artistic activities, yoga programs and plenty of music, this two-day event (www.chill outfest.com) at Life Park on the Bosphorus has a A relatively new addition to the events circuit, this one-day music festival is held in KüçükÇiftlik Park in Maçka. Check its Twit ter feed for details. June It’s summertime and, yes, the living is easy. There’s an abundance of sweet cherries and sour green plums in the produce markets and the open-air nightclubs on the Bosphorus start to hit their strides. 3 İstanbul Music Festival The city’s premier arts festival (http://muzik. iksv.org/en) includes performances of opera, dance, orchestral concerts and chamber recitals. Acts are often internationally renowned and much of the growing profile. 3 Parkfest

Highlights include the blooming of tulips across the city and the arrival of fresh kılıç (swordfish) on restaurant menus. 3 International İstanbul Film Festival If you’re keen to view the best in Turkish film, this is the event (http://film. iksv.org/en) to attend. Held early in the month in cinemas around town, it programs retrospectives and recent releases from Turkey and abroad. 1 İstanbul Tulip Festival The tulip (lâle) is one of İstanbul’s traditional symbols, and the local government celebrates this fact by planting more than 10 million of them annually. They bloom in mid-April, enveloping al most every street and park in vivid spring colours.

March It’s cold at the start of the month, but as the weather improves the festival season kicks off. Good hotel deals are on offer early in the month; high-season prices from Easter onwards. 3 Akbank Short Film Festival Beloved by the black-clad Beyoğlu bohemian set, this arty film-culture event is held at the Akbank Cul ture & Arts Centre (www. akbanksanat.com). April Locals are well and truly into the springtime swing of things by April. late June to late July İstanbul Biennial , mid-September to mid-November İstanbul Design Biennial , October to November TOP EVENTS Chill-Out Festival , May İstanbul Music Festival , June İstanbul Jazz Festival ,

May Enginar (artichoke)

comes into season and takes pride of place on meze trays across the city. Days start to heat up, although evenings can still be chilly.