While the summer may soon be coming to a close, there is still plenty of time to get out there and try something new or enjoy something you love with the exciting Istanbul as the backdrop. While a few new festivals join the circuit this year, others are growing immensely in popularity. Nonetheless, the following events are guaranteed to be a lively, fun and explorative experience.

Bosporus Dance Festival

From Sept. 7 to 10, Istanbul is set to host its first-ever Bosporus Dance Festival, four days worth of workshops, performances and dance parties from morning-to-night-and then morning again. Dozens of performers and DJs from all over the world will be coming out to perform with Turkey's top dancers. The festival will be divided between activities taking place on a boat cruising the Bosporus and in the Istanbul Naval Museum in Beşiktaş.

The full program is as follows: The festival kicks off with a welcoming party held on the Bosporus Dance Boat, on Thursday, Sept. 7, which will take place 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The dress code is red and white and the cost to attend is just TL 25 ($7).

On Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9, the festival moves to the Istanbul Naval Museum where workshops will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., respectively. In the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there will be performances held from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., followed by dance parties in three different halls devoted to Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba that will take place until the early hours of the morning. On Friday, the dress code is white and entrance costs TL 60, on Saturday the dress code is elegant and entry costs TL 75 and on Sunday, the dress code is black and white.

On Sunday, Sept. 10, the festival sets sail once again on a Bosporus Dance Boat Swimming & Fun Tour , which will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with workshops and performances taking place as they cruise the Bosporus and Black Sea all for the price of TL 50. In the evening, the festival returns to the Istanbul Naval Museum for the final nightly performance, which will place from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. followed by a "Sunday Party," with a black and white dress code and TL 50 entrance fee.While there are single-day passes for Friday and Saturday for TL 100, there are also full passes for all four days and nights of fun available for TL 220 and a party pass for TL 160.

Reasonable accommodation for those arriving to Istanbul has been arranged at the Cheya Hotel, for TL 80 and TL 65 per person in double or triple rooms, respectively, and with breakfast, while accommodation will also be arranged at a number of boutique hotels in Beşiktaş center for TL 65 and TL 50, respectively with no breakfast.

GameX 2017

GameX or Compex, the International Digital Game and Entertainment Fair comes to town from Thursday, Sept. 14 to Sunday, Sept. 17 at the TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center. Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for an entrance fee of TL 10 or TL 30 for the full four days. There will be the latest in virtual reality, cosplay, tournaments, robot wars and art-related workshops including on making cosplay costumes as well as a Con Area designated entirely for box and card games and fantasy role playing. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to listen to first-hand experiences and network with game developers, streamers and YouTubers, e-sports teams and leading figures from the gaming business world.Bomonti Street Festival

This year will also be the first for the Bomonti Street Festival, which will take place over the weekend of Sept. 16 and 17 in the parking lot of the Feriköy market area, which also hosts the weekly Organic Market in this colorful neighborhood that also hosts the historical beer factory-turned- entertainment complex that is bomontiada. Starting from noon until near midnight daily, there will be live musical performances by street musicians, designer stands, activities for the kids, workshops for all, seminars, well-known DJs and dancers as well as a closing night of open-air cinema and the screening of two surprise movies. But most importantly is there will be a wide variety of street food specialties available and entrance is free.

Istanbul Second-hand Festival

The Istanbul Second-hand Festival is another popular event that has become bi- annual and will be held over the weekend of Sept. 23 to 24 on the grounds of the Yeşil Çiftlik Restaurant in Kilyos. Thousands come out to check out the stands set up selling antiques, vintage, second-hand and designer items as well as stands for charities. The radio station Best FM will be broadcasting music throughout the day and the food truck Coffee on the Road will be there to provide the fuel.Like Fest 2017 Güz

Fast becoming one of the most popular events to now take place seasonally is LikeFest, a social media festival, which will have its autumn edition, which in Turkish is Güz, held at the Sirkeci Train Station from Sept. 22 to 24. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, there will be dozens of stands set up selling accessories, cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, home items, stationary, coffee, chocolate, teas and you name it. In addition to concerts there will also be workshops on woodwork, handcrafts and needlework as well as of course gourmet food. A great opportunity to check out what has been garnering "likes" in Turkey on social media.

Istanbul Brunch Festival

Last, but certainly not least is the Istanbul Brunch Festival, which will take place on Sept. 23-24 at the Uniq Istanbul Open-Air Theater. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday, expect the best of both worlds, breakfast and lunch items from a wide variety of Turkish culinary traditions. There will be katmer from Gaziantep, Bazlama and other freshly baked breads, olives and olive oil, cheeses, crepes, honey, clotted cream, chocolate spread and all sorts of special treats brought to a brunch spread with the Slow Food mindset, which Turkey has an active community of. Furthermore, there will also be jazz and blues musicians performing live to provide the true brunch experience. Tickets for this tasty experience will soon be available on Biletix.