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Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, will host the eighth stop of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival from June 27 to July 5, bringing together concerts, exhibitions, theater, workshops, children's events and a local gastronomy program across the city.
The festival will take place in Bursa for the third time and will run for nine days, turning the city into one of the main culture and arts destinations of the summer.
Known for its historical heritage, traditional crafts, strong arts scene, natural setting and deep-rooted food culture, Bursa will present a wide program designed to bring together culture, art and taste.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Bursa holds a special place in Türkiye's cultural and civilizational history, not only as the first Ottoman capital but also through its inns, bazaars, social complexes, living crafts, cuisine and artistic tradition.
Ersoy said the festival would bring Bursa's historical heritage, arts life, music, gastronomy and traditional values together through hundreds of events, adding, "We will reinterpret Bursa's cultural accumulation from past to present through different art disciplines and bring the excitement of culture and art to every corner of the city."
He also said the festival would help make Bursa's cultural heritage more visible while highlighting the city's gastronomy. The festival's Taste Points selection, known as Lezzet Noktalari, will introduce local flavors ranging from Iskender kebab and cantik to sut helvasi and kestane sekeri to wider audiences.
Festival evenings in Bursa will be centered on concerts at the FSM Hospital Area. Demet Akalin, Ceza, Derya Ulug, Serkan Kaya, Levent Yuksel, Ebru Yasar, Gokhan Turkmen, Murat Boz and Sinan Akcil will take the stage as part of the program.
Alongside popular concerts, special performances such as the Regional Band Command of the Maintenance, Ammunition School and Training Center and a Yesilcam Songs program will also meet audiences. The theater play "In the Shadow of the Plane Tree" will be staged at Ahmet Vefik Pasa Bursa State Theater as part of the festival.
Bursa will also welcome visitors through its long-standing culinary culture. More than 45 restaurants, cafes and local businesses included in the Taste Points selection will take part in the gastronomy program.
Chef Gurkan Kaya will host the food program, while chef and researcher Vedat Basaran, Chef Serkan Aksoy and Chef Tahir Korkmaz will join as guest chefs.
The festival will highlight Bursa's food heritage, shaped by Ottoman palace cuisine, Balkan migrant traditions, fertile agricultural lands and traditional production methods. Local dishes and products such as Iskender kebab, pideli kofte, Inegol kofte, cantik, tahinli pide, sut helvasi, kestane sekeri, Kemalpasa tatlisi, Mihalic cheese and Bursa black fig will be presented to visitors during the festival.
The festival will also feature several exhibitions across Bursa.
"House" will be on view at the State Fine Arts Gallery, while "Sacred Relics of the Ottoman Empire" will be presented at the Bursa Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. "Living Heritage: Bursa Exhibition" will take place at Ordekli Culture Center, and "ASELSAN Vision for an Upcycled Future" will meet visitors at the Limonluk section of Ataturk House Museum.
Traditional arts workshops, talks on living heritage and discussions on the city's history will also be part of the festival.
FotoMaraton Bursa and FotoMaraton Children, photography-based events designed to help participants build a connection with the city, will take place during the program.
Workshops, festivities and Children's Village activities prepared for young visitors will continue throughout the festival.
Details about the full festival program and events will be available through the official Türkiye Culture Route Festival website.
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