Festival History

HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL-BÜYÜKÇEKMECE CULTURE AND ART FESTIVAL

“We launched our festival in 2000. In 2003, we became a member of the World Organization of Folk Dance Festivals, affiliated with UNESCO under the United Nations. It is Türkiye’s first CIOFF member festival and the country’s only Category A festival. This year, we are proudly organizing the 27th edition of our festival. It has been selected as the “World’s Best Festival” five times by CIOFF. As a founding member of the International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF), our festival has also been named the “World’s Best Festival” eight times by FIDAF. Since 2018, it has been honored with the “Best Municipal Festival” award by ACE of M.I.C.E.”

FESTIVAL AWARDS
•    2010 - CIOFF Category A (UNESCO) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2010 - Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture - Voices of the Neighbours Project
•    2012 - CIOFF Category A (UNESCO) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2015 - CIOFF Category A (UNESCO) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2015 - Shining Star Awards - Türkiye’s Shining Stars - Best Festival Award
•    2015 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2017 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2018 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2018 - ACE of M.I.C.E. Awards - Türkiye’s Best Festival Award
•    2021 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - Festival Honor Award
•    2021 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - World’s Best Festival Award
•    2021 - CIOFF Category A (UNESCO) - Festival Sustainability Award
•    2022 - CIOFF Category A (UNESCO) - Service and Achievement Award
•    2023 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - World Star Festival Award
•    2024 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - Three-Star World Festival Award
•    2025 - International Federation of Dance Festivals (FIDAF) - Four-Star World Honor Award

The International Istanbul Büyükçekmece Culture and Arts Festival aims to promote our country, Istanbul, and Büyükçekmece to the world while introducing the cultures and folkloric heritage of people from across the globe to our city. In doing so, one of our foremost objectives is to contribute to world peace.
To date, our festival has welcomed more than 28,000 ambassadors of culture and art from 130 countries around the world.
 

MAIN EVENTS OF OUR FESTIVAL​
International Altınköprü Folk Dance Competition
International Sculpture Symposium
International Handicrafts Exhibition - Hands Creating with the Love of Labor
International Güler Ertan Photography Competition and Exhibition
Little Breaks, Great Horizons - Raising Young Photographers
International Puppet Shows and Workshop Exhibition
International Handicrafts Workshops for Children
International Mind and Skill Games - Mindcraft Art and Games Village
Silent Witnesses of the Past - Chest Exhibition
World Costumes Exhibition
Üstün Gürtuna Folkloric Doll Collection Exhibition
Festival Photographs Through the Years Exhibition
Official Opening Special Dance Performance
Concerts

When looked at from the angles of their subject matters, their fields of activity, variety, amount of participants, the audience they affect, the artisans participating, the availability of accommodations, quality of guides, qualities of their contestants and jury members, success of scheduling and planning, the suitability of the festival grounds and many other values, festivals are activities that require considerable skill. From these angles, the International Istanbul-Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival is at leading levels in nearly all of them. It was chosen the world’s best festival 8 times for this reason. That is why you should participate in this festival.

Of course, it is no coincidence that our festival, one which improves further every year, one which is open to innovation while also benefiting from its many years of experience, can claim such accomplishments. This success is a result of a tiring but fun process that requires huge efforts. This festival is an outcome of the respectable efforts put in by every single one of the people of Büyükçekmece, the municipality personnel, our sponsors, state institutions and organizations. That is why you should take part in this festival.

You will find here the worldview, traditional practices, rituals and lifestyles of various countries. Aside from the contests that are a part of the activities, all the various exhibits, concerts, musical performances, ballet performances and folk dances will leave you dizzy. Your world will be filled with color, and your horizons widened. That is why you should watch this festival.

As our festival has become a tradition with the many social functions it has taken over, there has actually been many experiences that some may not even have noticed. We should take these festivals as activities with historical significance. This is not just a musical showcase or an entertainment festival, this is, in its entirety, a Culture and Art festival.

As our festival is enriched by its mission, it also has an economic function. Transportation, accommodation, food & beverages, craft sales, souvenirs etc. give these art activities an economic dimension. The development of the cultural activities of these different social groups, the establishment of friendship and tolerance only becomes possible through the bringing together of these very different components. That is why you should preserve this festival.

With these feelings, we shout once more into the world, at mankind, and tell them: Everything for peace, for love, for friendship…

 

 Every year, thousands of festivals are organized around the world. Although their concepts and timings may be different, all of them have a common point of all festivals is people, humanity and peace.

            Festivals have had great importance in social cohesion, cultural integration and fostering trust among people. They play a big part in taking the heritage we possess, mixing it with science, culture, art and local values, and carrying it to the international scene.

            Festivals are a meeting point from people of different places. Bringing together different colors from various different nations, each year providing an environment where friendships are formed, bringing together arts and cultures, all of this is valuable and important to us.

            Festivals also bring change to our monotone lives flowing away in difficult living conditions. They bring our visitors the opportunity to experience different cultures and partake in unique activities. One of our main goals is to reach the world and bring together it’s people.

            When we say “Love to each other, peace for all” in our festival, we aim to serve world peace. By doing this, we hope to bring to life our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s expression, “Peace at home, peace in the world”.

            We wish to present our folkloric values, culture and art of our nation to the world with this festival. We wish for the world to meet our Büyükçekmece, one of the most beautiful places in Istanbul with its sea, lakes, greenery, its modern side, its warm and welcoming people. We wish for the people of the world to meet on Mimar Sinan’s masterpiece, the Kanuni Suleiman Bridge, hand in hand.

            We want people in the celebrations to share in the goodness, to rejoice together, to sing together, and to feel themselves empowered by the emotional energy of the celebration. We want a society filled with culture, art, love, respect, and peace. This is why we are a festival city, and this is why we are a world city.