Entertainment and night life in Turkey
Turkey is also the cornucopia of entertainment and night life in addition to historical sites and beauties of nature. Especially Istanbul, Turkey’s metropolis is one of the world’s most popular cities in this regard.
Turkey offers a wide range of entertainment from local and more traditional to modern forms of entertainment in different regions.
You may visit traditional venues decorated in Anatolian style or enjoy the latest global trends of night life in Istanbul. Istanbul is famous in Turkey and around the globe for offering all kinds of entertainment.
Istanbul makes sure that its guests are well entertained by providing countless options ranging from the minimal bars of Beyoglu to the big night clubs of Kuruçeşme.
The private beaches located at the northern coast of Istanbul are also among the popular venues that provide for fun. Guests can take a sunbath and swim during the day before enjoying the stunning moonlight of the Bosporus and dancing to the music.
Istanbul is followed by Izmir, Eskisehir and Ankara which are among the major cities popular for their options of entertainment. The sense of entertainment influenced by the high number of young people living in these cities is rather informal, friendly and unique.
Izmir is a beautiful coastal city populated with diverse entertainment facilities located along the sea. Çeşme, another holiday resort near to Izmir, is getting popular nowadays for its thriving entertainment facilities.
Eskisehir and Ankara are central Anatolian cities popular for their options of entertainment that appeal largely to the dense student population in both cities. Most of the beautiful venues in these cities reflect a rather young and sympathetic profile. The variety of venues and the cheerfull population that will welcome you is definitely worth the visit when travelling to this region.
Apart from this, the interior parts of Anatolia tend to offer rather traditional forms of entertainment. Many traditional pastime activities such as folk dances are still valued and preserved by the local people.
“Sira Gecesi” a traditional form of entertainment unique to Şanlıurfa in the Southeastern Anatolian Region, is one of the city’s most important cultural values. Sira nights, also organized in other Anatolian cities, hold an important place in Anatolian culture.
Sira Gecesi is a traditional get together of young people of the same age group. They get together once a week to play local games or to socialize and spend a good time singing songs reciting poems or talking about friendships. Passed on as a tradition from one generation to the other, these special nights are still preserved.
The authentic folk dances and musical instruments of every region constitute the basis of traditional Turkish entertainment. These local entertainments combined with colorful local costumes provide for a festive mood entertaining visitors at various touristic destinations.
Folk dances are an essential part of entertainment particularly in the Black Sea region where Kemençe (a type of stringed instrument) and Tulum (bagpipe) are considered the main musical instruments. The folk dances of this region have originated with the purpose of keeping traditions alive through socializing. Various local folk dances, displaying the cultural diversity of Turkey, are also performed in big cities nowadays.
Holiday makers who want to spend their vacation at destinations offering rather modern entertainment will find out that Turkey has some of the most popular and modern venues in the world.
Numerous venues with different concepts, on both the European and the Anatolian side, are waiting for their visitors to explore the cheerful nightlife of Istanbul in the backdrop of various alternatives of music. Whether the small locations of Beyoğlu or Kadıkoy where you can drop by to have a drink, or the big night clubs located in Bebek, Trabya, Kalamiş or Caddebostan; all of the venues keep their doors open until sunrise. You can enjoy the live performances of the best DJs of Turkey and the world while socializing with many people from diverse countries, and take pleasure in the quality of entertainment.
