Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

April Locals are well and truly into the springtime swing of things by April. 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 almost every street and park in vivid spring colours.