Your Guide to istanbul - Entertainment in Istanbul

Entertainment in Istanbul

"Tstanbul offers a great variety of leisure pursuits, ranging from A arts festivals, folk music and belly dancing to sports centres and nightclubs. The most important event in the cultural calendar is the series of festivals organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts . The festivals take place between March and November, and have been drawing international performers and large audiences since 1973. Throughout the year, traditional Turkish music, opera, ballet, Western classical music and plays are performed at the Ataturk Cultural Centre (AKM), the Cemal Re§it Rev Concert Hall (CRR) and other venues around the city. Beyoglu is the main centre for entertainment of all kinds. This area has the highest concentration of cinemas in the city as well as several cultural centres, both Turkish and foreign. In the evening the bars and cafes here play live music. Ortakoy, on the European shore of the Bosphorus, is another popular venue where, on summer nights, dining, music and dancing continue into the small hours of the morning.

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDES

Istanbul has a bi-monthly entertainment and listings magazine in English called The Guide. This publishes the programmes of the AKM and CRR, and information on other cultural events, as well as bars and nightclubs around the city. The Guide is sold at the larger, central newsagents and book shops. The English-language newspaper Turkish Daily News, available from newsstands, also has information on entertainment in Istanbul.
Lists of events taking place at individual theatres and cultural centres (including those attached to foreign consulates can be obtained from tourist information offices.
The Turkish Airlines in-flight magazine. Skylife, has details ol major cvcnis. and the daily Turkish newspaper Hürriyet has listings in Turkish.

BOOKING TICKETS

Tickets for performances at the Ataturk Cultural Centre and Cemal Resjt Rey Concert Hall can be purchased one week in advance from their box offices. Perhaps one of the fastest and most convenient ways to book and pay for tickets to any event is through Biletix. Vakkorama department store and Galleria, Akmerkez and Capitol shopping centres sell tickets for large pop and jazz concerts, and also for performances at the Ataturk Cultural Centre and Cemal Regit Rey Concert Hall.

LATE-NIGHT TRANSPORT

The last late-night buses and dolmuses leave at midnight from Taksim, which is close to many entertainment venues. Taxis run throughout the night. During the music festivals in June and July there is a special bus service which runs between show venues and central parts of Istanbul.

FESTIVALS

Five arts festivals, four annual and one biennial, are organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and the Arts. The Film Festival runs from March to April every year, the Theatre Festival is in May and June, the Music and Dance Festival - the original and biggest festival - is in June and July and the Jazz Festival is in July. The biennial Fine Arts Festival takes place in the autumn. Tickets for all these festivals can be bought over the phone from the Istanbul Festival Committee, which also has programme details, and from the venues.
The Yapi Kredi Arts Festival, Akbank Jazz Festival and Efes Pilsen Blues Festival are also in the autumn .

WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC AND DANCE

Every season the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet companies, State Symphony Orchestra and State Theatre perform a wide repertoire of classical and modern works. The companies share the same venue: the purpose-built, 900-seat Ataturk Cultural Centre in Taksim. Early booking is essential for shows here. The Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall stages concerts of Western classical music as well as hosting a wide variety of music and dance groups from all over the world. Concerts, operettas and ballets are also performed at smaller venues throughout the city.
Laser disc screenings of opera, ballet and classical music performances are held most days at 2pm and bpm at the Aksanat Cultural Centre. It also sometimes stages live plays and music recitals.

ROCK MUSIC AND JAZZ

Istanbul has an increasing number of bars and clubs playing good live music. Hayal Kahvesi is a bar dedicated to jazz, rock and blues by groups from Turkey and abroad. It also has an outdoor summer branch next to the Bosphorus in Çubuklu. The Q Jazz Bar, located in the
grounds of the Çırağa n Palace Hotel Kempinski, is an exclusive jazz bar which regularly invites well-known performers. Further up the Bosphorus, in Ortaköy, the Rock House Café is an imitation of the famous Hard Rock Café. It has live bands on certain nights of the week.
In the city centre, Kemancı features live rock and heavy metal performers. In Sappho they play softer, more sophisticated jazz and quality Turkish pop music. Other venues for Turkish pop are Tribunal and Vivaldi, while at Beyoğlu Sanat Evi they play Turkish pop with strong folk music influences.

NIGHTCLUBS

The luxurious, summer-only Club 29 is probably the most glamorous nightclub in Istanbul. It has a restaurant, swimming pool and torch-lit garden with glorious views of the Bosphoais. Every half-hour a boat ferries guests to and from İstinye on the European side. The bar becomes a disco after midnight. Laila, also open in summer only, is the city's biggest nightspot, with a large dancefloor right beside the Bosphoais, as well as several bars and restaurants. Majesty, a chic bar and restaurant complex next to the Bosphorus, has a delightful outdoor balcony. Live bands play in the bar and there is dancing to Caribbean music. The restaurant features Turkish music and dance. Milk is a popular club open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights which plays House, Garage and other electrónica.
Avoid the seedier-looking clubs in Beyoğlu, as these have been known to coerce clients into paying extortionate bills.

TRADITIONAL TURKISH MUSIC AND DANCE

Traditional Turkish music is regularly performed at the Cemal Regit Rey Concert Hall. This includes Ottoman classical music, performed by an ensemble of singers and musicians, mystical Sufi music and folk music from various regions of Turkey. In summer, recitals of Turkish music are occasionally organized in the Basilica Cistern . which has wonderful acoustics. The Sultanahmet Tourist Office has details.
Fasil is a popular form of traditional music best enjoyed live in meyhanes such as Ece, Istanbulin Dinner Show and Asir Rest. It is usually performed by gypsies on instruments which include the violin, kanun (zither), tambur and ut (both similar to the lute).
Belly dancing is performed mainly in nightclubs. Though often underrated, the sensuous movements of the female dancers are considered an art. Many clubs and restaurants stage belly dancing together with Turkish folk music and dance. Dinner is often included in the show. One of the best venues is the restaurant in the Galata Tower . Other venues featuring top performers are Kervansaray, Orient House and Manzara.
A folkloric whirling dervish troupe gives a public performance at the Mevlevi Monastery once a month.

CINEMAS

The latest foreign films are on general release in Istanbul at the same time as other European countries. They are screened in their original languages with Turkish subtitles. Only a few cinemas show Turkish-made films.
The majority of the city's cinemas are on İstiklal Caddesi. Of these, Alkazar, Emek and Beyoğlu tend to show art-house films. There are also numerous cinemas in Kadıköy, on the Asian side, while all the main shopping centres have multi-screen cinemas.
The first screening of the day is half-price and many cinemas offer tickets at half-price all day on Wednesdays. Students with a valid card are entitled to a discount for all showings. Films tend to stop about halfway through for an interval THEATRE
Plays by both Turkish and international playwrights are staged in Istanbul's theatres, but only in Turkish. One of the most popular companies is the Istanbul State Theatre, which is based at the AKM. The theatre season runs from September to June.

HEALTH CLUBS AND SPORTS CENTRES

There are a number of establishments with public sports facilities in and around Istanbul. All the main five-star hotels have good swimming pools and welcome non-residents for a daily fee. Health clubs such as the Vakkorama Gym and the Alkent Hillside Club can also be used by non-members for a daily fee.
At the edge of the Belgrade Forest, the Kemer Country Riding and Golf Club has stables and a 9-hole golf course. It also offers riding and golf lessons. For ice-skaters, there is a rink in the Galleria shopping centre which is open to the public after 7 pm. Skates are available for hire.

SPECTATOR SPORTS

Football has a very large following in Turkey. The three Istanbul teams, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, all compete at international level and play in Istanbul most Sundays. Horse racing takes place at the Veli Efendi racecourse on Wednesdays and at weekends. The state-of-the-art Istanbul Formula One racing circuit is on the Asian side of the city, and is where the Turkish Grand Prix is held in August. In the summer months there are yacht regattas in the Sea of Marmara . For an unusual spectator sport, head to Edirne at festival time, to see the grease wrestling .

BEACHES

The best place to swim, water-ski and windsurf in Istanbul is the Princes' Islands. Yörükali Plajı, on Büyükada, is a public beach, but it is safe to swim anywhere around the islands.
There are large beaches at Kilyos and Gümüş-dere on the Black Sea, about 30 minutes' drive from central Istanbul, and Şile . The Black Sea can be rough at times, however, with big waves and dangerous undercurrents, so always exercise caution on these beaches. The Marmara Islands , are also popular for their beaches.

CHILDREN

Little in istanbul has been designed with children in mind. Nevertheless, there are many things to interest children and increasingly activities and sights that will attract them.
However, children are welcome and will be made a fuss of almost everywhere they go. With a little thought you can find plenty of things for children to do. The State Opera and Ballet puts on children's musicals at the AKM, on Saturdays at 1 lam or 3pm.
The Archaeological Museum has a special children's section tracing the history of mankind, with a medieval castle and a Trojan horse to climb on.
There are parks at Yıldız and Emirgan . Another park near Emirgan, the Park Orman, is a family complex situated in woods, with picnic areas, a swimming pool and a theatre. Miniatiirk in Sütlüce boasts an extensive model village, as well as restaurants, shops and a pool. On the Princes' Islands, where there are no cars, children can cycle safely, or take a tour in a horse-drawn carriage or on a donkey. Tatilya, 35 km (22 miles)from Istanbul, is a theme park with roller coasters and other rides. The Toy Museum in Göztepe is the first of its kind in Turkey. In Darcia, 28 miles (45 km) from Istanbul, the Bosphorus Zoo has a variety of exotic animals in their natural habitats.

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