Istanbul stages and galleries fill up for Oct. 19-25

Istanbul is set to host a wide range of cultural events this week, from theater and music to exhibitions, with venues on both the European and Asian sides of the city taking part.

Actors perform a scene depicting life amid destruction in Gaza during a theatrical production by Istanbul State Theatre in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 16, 2026. (AA Photo)

Theater

Istanbul State Theaters stage “Old Clown Wanted for a Small Job” (“Kucuk Bir Is Icin Yasli Bir Palyaco Araniyor”) and “The Red Sphere” (“Kirmizi Kure”) at the Mecidiyekoy Grand Stage in the Sisli district on the European side, Oct. 20-25.

“In My Father’s Words” (“Babamin Kelimeleriyle”) runs Oct. 20-24 at the Mecidiyekoy Studio Stage. “Perpetual Peace” (“Ebedi Baris”) is on Oct. 22-24 at the Halit Akcatepe Stage of the Mustafa Saffet Cultural Center in Atasehir on the Asian side.

“Lacrima,” part of the Istanbul Theater Festival, is staged Oct. 22-23 at the Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage in Besiktas.

At Trump Sahne, the crime comedy “Setup in the Dark” (“Karanlikta Kumpas”), starring Safak Sezer, Ozgur Ozgulgun, Zeynep Kankonde and Sebnem Ozinal, performs on Oct. 22. Mahser-i Cumbus, a group described as a pioneer of modern improvisational theater, performs there Oct. 24. “Milk Siblings” (“Sut Kardesler”), adapted by veteran Turkish theater figure Nejat Uygur and staged by the Suheyl and Behzat Uygur Theater, follows on Oct. 25.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) City Theaters presents the following productions Oct. 21-24:

• “The Play That Went Astray” (“Yoldan Cikan Oyun”) – Harbiye Muhsin Ertugrul Stage.
• ""Tartuffe"—Kagithane Sadabad Stage.
• “Time Just Stands Still” (“Oylece Durur Zaman”) – Uskudar Musahipzade Celal Stage.
• “The Robbers” (“Haramiler”) – Umraniye Stage.
• “My Bicycle Was Blue” (“Maviydi Bisikletim”) – Uskudar Kerem Yilmazer Stage.
• “Dear Yelena Sergeyevna” (“Sevgili Yelena Sergeyevna”) – Prof. Dr. Sevda Sener Stage, Kadikoy Muze Gazhane.
• “Roma Boxer” (“Cingene Boksor”) – Meydan Stage, Kadikoy Muze Gazhane.

Uskudar, Umraniye and Kadikoy are on the Asian side, while Harbiye and Kagithane are on the European side.

A further production, “You Are More Beautiful Than Istanbul” (“Sen Istanbul’dan Daha Guzelsin”), is staged Oct. 24 at the Rasim Oztekin Stage in Yakuplu, Beylikduzu, in western Istanbul.

An orchestra performs alongside a soloist at the renovated Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 7, 2026. (AA Photo)

Music

Japanese pianist and composer Aki Takase performs with her quintet “Japanic” on Oct. 21 at the IBB Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall (CRR) in Harbiye.

Takase, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the German Jazz Awards (Deutscher Jazzpreis), is joined in improvisation by a turntable alongside piano and saxophone.

The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Andrea Solinas, shares the stage with tenor Vittorio Grigolo, soprano Maria Kokareva and pianist Philipp Kopachevsky in the concert “One Voice” (“Bir Ses”) on Oct. 21 at the Turk Telekom Opera Hall of the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) in Taksim.

On Oct. 23, the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra presents the “Türkiye-Poland Friendship Concert in Honor of Tadeusz Strugala” (“Türkiye Polonya Dostluk Konseri Tadeusz Strugala Onuruna”) at the same AKM hall.

The concert is part of the DenizBank Concerts series and is organized with the Consulate General of Poland in Istanbul. Marzena Diakun conducts, with pianist Szymon Nehring.

Pera Museum’s Turkish Music Concerts opens its new season on Oct. 25 with “Composers of the Republican Era” (“Cumhuriyet Donemi Bestekarlari”) at the Pera Museum Auditorium in Beyoglu. The series honors the musical legacy of Professor. Dr. Alaeddin Yavasca includes presentations and talks on the historical, cultural, traditional, sociological, and literary aspects of Turkish music.

Other concerts this week include:

• Amira Medunjanin—A prominent performer of Sevdalinka, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s traditional music genre. Zorlu PSM, Oct. 24.
• Demet Sagiroglu and Barbaros—Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Stage, Oct. 23.

Visitors examine traditional Japanese paintings during Japan Week 2026, showcasing Japanese culture in Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 8, 2026. (AA Photo)

Exhibitions

“I Am Talking With Istanbul” (“Istanbul ile Konusuyorum”) opens Oct. 21 at the Istanbul Shopping Center. Curated by Samed Karagoz, the exhibition addresses the city’s memory, architecture and urban life through different disciplines, with works by Ozan Turkkan, Eylul Alici, Kivanc Aykan, Raziyye Kuzu Atalay, Server Demirtas, Selcuk Artut and Fuat Degirmenci.

Ara Guler’s “Little Hungary” (“Kucuk Macaristan”) opens Oct. 22 at the Hungarian Cultural Center in Kagithane and runs through Feb. 12, 2027.

“Verses of the Sultanate” (“Saltanat Dizeleri”), which pairs poems by Ottoman sultans with calligraphy and illumination, opens Oct. 20 at the Dolmabahce Palace Art Gallery. “Three Painters: Alaettin Aksoy, Mehmet Guleryuz, Komet” (“Uc Ressam: Alaettin Aksoy, Mehmet Guleryuz, Komet”), a group show of Turkish painters, is on view at the AKM Gallery until Oct. 26.

The personal belongings of oud and cello virtuoso, composer, and painter Serif Muhiddin Targan are on display in the “Serif Muhiddin Targan Exhibition” at the Beyazit Manuscripts Library until Dec. 9.

Other exhibitions currently open across the city include:

• “Under the Same Blue” (“Ayni Mavinin "Altinda")—Istanbul Modern’s 10th collection exhibition, at the Dr. Nejat F. Eczacibasi Collection Exhibition Hall.
• “Domestic Industry, International Reputation” (“Yerli Sanayi, Uluslararasi "Itibar")—Marking the Koc Group's 100th anniversary, at the Rahmi M. Koc Museum until Feb. 7, 2027.
• Aybeniz Zeynalova exhibition – Works by the Azerbaijani artist prepared for Gaza, at Rami Library.
• “The Burden of Humanity: Decolonization Today” (“Insanligin Yuku: Dekolonizasyonun "Bugunu")—Organized by the NUN Education and Culture Foundation in cooperation with the Istanbul Governorship, at Rami Library.
• “No later. Later is now.” (“Sonra yok. Sonrasi simdi.”) – An Arter collection group exhibition examining the idea of the end of the world in its existential, ecological, and political dimensions, open until March 28, 2027.

October 19, 2026 05:35 PM GMT+03:00