Music & Culture

Although the town of Bodrum is known for its’ sun and the sea, there are a variety of music and art festivals that take place here during the summer. The most established ones that repeat each year are listed below.

Bodrum International Balet Festival

This festival took place in 2002 for the first time and is organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Since then, it has been taking place every year, at the end of August at the historical venue of St. Peter’s Castle.

Gümüşlük International Classical Music Festival

This festival is organized by Eklisia Cultural Center for musicians and was created in 2004. It has been taking place in an old Greek chapel in the small fishing village of Gümüşlük from mid-July to end of August ever since.

Bodrum Antik Tiyatro Yıldızlı Turkcell Geceleri

This series of concerts sponsored by Turkcell are among the most famous and well-known of the area since they take place on a much bigger scale and host several worldwide known performers ranging from Julio Iglesias to Cesaria Evora. These concerts are a unique experience as they take place on the restored antique theater dating back to 400 BC which sits on top of a hill that overlooks the whole city.

Since the last restorations in 2000, the venue which holds up to 4000 people has been used mainly for musical events between the months of July and September.

Turgut Reis International Classical Music Festival

This festival is organized by the Doğuş Group since 2004 as a part of their corporate social responsibility projects. It takes place in the slip area of the marina of Turgutreis which was built by the same company. The festival lasts only for 4 days and takes place every year in July or August, hosting 4 different symphonic orchestras giving a sunset and an evening concert every day. They offer a great opportunity for anyone who would like to enjoy classical music under the stars. The motto of these concerts art directed by Kemal Küçük are; “Pure classical music for everyone”.