Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

October The year’s final festivals take everyone’s minds off the impending arrival of winter. Ruby-red pomegranates come into season at the end of the month and are juiced at stands across the city. 3 Akbank Jazz Festival This older sister to the International İstanbul Jazz Festival is a boutique event (www.akbanksanat.com), with a program featuring traditional and avant-garde jazz. Venues are scattered around town. 2 İstanbul Design Biennial A reasonably recent addition to the İstanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts’ (İKSV) stellar calendar of festivals, this event (http://istanbuldesignbiennial.iksv.org) sees the city’s design community celebrating its profession and critically discussing its future. It’s held in even-numbered years.