It's summer time, "bayram," in other words the holiday marking the close of the month-long Ramadan fast, is nearly upon us, and it is time to get out and mingle and discover some of the many wonders Turkey and its cultural capital Istanbul have to offer. The following is a handpicked calendar of events for expats and visitors alike to get out there, have fun and make friends this summer:Stand-up Comedy and Spoken WordTonight and tomorrow night, June 28 and 29 respectively, the "Take Me Up the Bosphorus" stand-up comedy team have brought out British comedian Aidan Goatley to perform two very special comedy shows.A regular sell-out all over the world, his previous show "10 Films with my Dad" was even turned into a bestselling book. Kicking off the show will be British-Turkish comedian Aslı Akbay. Performances will be held in English and will take place tonight at 9 p.m. at the Hard Rock Café in Beyoğlu with free entrance and on Wednesday, June 29 at 8 p.m. at Kılçık Mekan in Kadıköy with tickets costing TL 25 ($8) and TL 20 for and available at the door.Popular with the expat crowd, Spoken Word Istanbul in which anyone is welcome to take the stage in a six-minute open mic performance will also be held on Tuesday, June 28 at Arsen Lupen in Beyoğlu starting from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.Of expat interestPop-Up Restaurant Istanbul will be hosting an Indian themed dinner on Friday, July 15 from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Hosted by a fellow expat in her home in Cihangir, this is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with other expats over a delicious and unique spread.Country for Syria, the band that melds Middle Eastern melodies with country music and is a mix of expats and Syrian refugees, perform at Leyla Teras in Beyoğlu on Wednesday, June 29.Elin Oğlu takes the stageThe popular night-time talk show Elin Oğlu, which pits together eight male expats from all over the world residing in Turkey, takes the stage for a live show titled "Elin Oğlu Sahnede" on July 16 at the Mall of Istanbul in Başakşehir. The entertaining television show, which airs on Saturday nights on ATV and tackles all sorts of expat-related issues regarding settling in Turkey, albeit in Turkish will be staged live for a more intimate experience to get to know Brit Robbie-Lee Valentine, models Slovak Emrach Uskovski and Russian Andrey Polyanin, Spanish dancer Manuel Renia, Italian chef Danilo Zanna, South Korean student Chaby Han, Antonio Stokes a teacher from the States and translator Masataka Kobayashi, who hails from Japan.Çeşme Reggae FestivalFrom July 22 to 25, the popular summer resort town of Çeşme in İzmir will be hosting Turkey's first-ever Reggae Festival. This will be a full-three day camp out event with a line-up of Turkey's reggae outfits. The line-up for the event, which will take place in Ayasandra Koyu, is as follows: on Friday, July 22, Luxus, Komik Günler, Herbafrique, Selekta Technics and Jr. Karakusu perform. On Saturday, July 23, Sattas, Zeytin, Bosphoroots, Genjah and Da Frogg take the stage and on Sunday, July 24, the festival rounds out with performances by Koala Reggae Band, Eypio & Burak King, Sultan Tunç, Dasti, Selekta Firuzaga and King Seroman.SattasThe festival will also have an open session 'Reggae University', percussion workshops, a yoga area, poi shows, outdoor sports and contests. Tickets are TL 100.There will be a launch party for the festival held in Istanbul on Saturday, July 19 from 9 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Peyote in Nevizade with Jr.Sensimilla, Zeytin Reggae Band and Alpha Dub performing as well as ticket giveaways and discounted tickets for the festival available for purchase.Food FestsDiscover Turkish Street food at its best at the Beşiktaş Lahmacun Festival held at Findikli Park on Saturday, July 9 at 2 p.m. This delicious Turkish version of a thin meat pizza will be widely available as well as contests and entertainment. On Sunday, July 23 at 12 p.m., will be the Moda Çiğ Köfte Festival, a festival in honor of the popular bulgur patties and Turkish fast food staple that is traditionally prepared with raw meat, hence the name. You can learn how to make the patties, taste them at their finest and enjoy musical performances. in with a davul zurna performance followed by a mass kneading of the patties at 12:30 p.m. Entrance to the festival, which will be held at the Moda shore, is TL 5 and includes unlimited Çiğ Köfte and an ayran.Open-air cinemasThe impressive ENKA Eşref Denizhan Open Air Theater in Sarıyer will be showing the Oscar-winning films "The Revenant" and "Bridge of Spies" on July 19 and 20, respectively. The showing starts at 9:25 p.m. and tickets cost TL 10. Or you can watch "Independence Day: Resurgence" in style on cushions or beach loungers along the pool at the Deniz Private Cinecity in Ataşehir.Bull-wrestling in ArtvinEvery year in late-June early July, the annual Caucasus Culture and Arts Festival (in Turkish, the Kafkasör Kültür ve Sanat Festivalı) is held in the Kafkasör Yaylası, in other words a mountain pasture located 7km above Artvin in northeastern Turkey. Taking place from July 8 to 10, one of the highlighted events in what is the only place to still relive the tradition is bull wrestling, a bloodless sport that pits bulls together in a contest of strength with strict regulations in place to keep the animals safe. Not in any way reminiscent of Spanish bullfighting, this is a lively event which also showcases Karakucak wrestling, the Turkish folk wrestling style that prohibits oiling up, and folklore shows as well as a staged lyrical debate of poets from surrounding villages and provinces. Thousands come out to camp out and experience the event, making it a perfect opportunity to combine a trip to this spectacular region and maybe even try white water rafting on the Çoruh River.Concerts at Expo AntalyaTarkanExpo 2016 Antalya will be offering discounted tickets for the upcoming holiday. From July 2 to 10, entrance to the expo, will be just TL 15 for adults, TL 10 for students between the ages of 14 to 25 and those 65 and older, while children between the ages of 8 to 13 will be able to enter for just TL 5, which is up to a whopping 75 percent discount. The same discount will be applied to nighttime entry, which will begin on July 11 until Oct. 30 for anyone who visits the expo from 7 p.m. onward. This upcoming month may very well be the perfect time to check out this year's expo, held under the theme "Flowers and Children." Not only are there plant sculptures and gardens prepared from countries all over the world, but the Turkey-themed gardens give insight to the wealthy legacy Turkey has with its wide variety of plants and spectacular flowers. In addition, during the holiday none other than Deep Purple takes the stage on July 5 and on July 9, Turkish pop star Tarkan performs.