This weekend, the third annual Istanbul Caravan Festival (in Turkish "Istanbul Karavan Festivalı") will take place on May 19-21 at Doğada Yaşam Okulu in Istanbul’s Kilyos. The Istanbul Karavan Festival is one of the most highly anticipated and enjoyable events for caravan, camping and nature lovers, especially as the three-day event takes place at Doğada Yaşam Okulu, which is a huge camping, caravan and outdoor recreational center with its own private beach on the shore of the Black Sea. If simply being in this spot where the forest meets the water with hundreds of like-minded outdoor living enthusiasts wasn’t enough, there will also be seminars, events and contests centered on outdoor living and survival skills, outdoor sports activities such as a zipline and rock-climbing wall set up, an ax-wielding contest and daytime and evening hikes. There will also be a sunset beach party with a bonfire and live acoustic music, food stands as well as stands introducing and promoting all things caravan and camping related.
The program is filled with fun activities, led by a skilled onsite team consisting of dozens of volunteers from the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Search and Rescue Association (AKUT). They will be teaching about how to prevent and protect forests from wildfires, rope and knotting techniques, how to make paracords and setting up tents. Some of Türkiye’s most well-known road trippers who travel in caravans and share their experiences on social media will also be giving talks and courses on drawing caricatures, life on the road as a woman, surfing in the Black Sea and the flavors you can find in the forest, to name just a few. In the mornings, the festival will open with daily yoga sessions and in the evenings, it will close with observations of the cosmos. This will be a fun event for the whole family taking place this weekend, which due to it coinciding with the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on May 19, falls on what many will use as an opportunity to take a three-day vacation.
Participants can join for the day, spend the night or stay for the entire three-day duration, which will definitely be a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city, plus it’s just a short ride away as the Doğada Yaşam Okulu hosting the event is located in the seaside resort town of Kilyos, which is situated just outside of the metropolis in the district of Sariyer. The property itself, spanning 400,000 square meters (4.31 million square feet), has long been a popular parking spot for caravans and also offers the opportunity for the long-term rental of land to place motor homes and tiny houses.
From May 25 to May 29, Bodrum’s Herodot Cultural Center will be hosting the second annual Bodrum Camping, Caravan, Tiny House, Boat and Outdoor Sports Fair. Doors will be open daily from noon to 8 p.m. and the event running from next Thursday to Sunday will have representatives and stands from Türkiye’s leading caravan and tiny house producers as well a variety of outdoor sports and boating-related brands with a number of entertaining events taking place on the sidelines. Tickets to enter the event are available on Biletino for TL 60 ($3).
From June 2 to June 4, Didim’s Altınkum will be hosting the Endless Possibilities Festival (in Turkish "Sonsuz Olasılıklar Festivalı"), which is a recurring event previously held in destinations in Izmir and the Mount Ida region, which is centered around practices, workshops and seminars geared toward promoting awareness, holistic healing and hope for finding our life’s purpose. The event will have workshops throughout the day ranging from therapeutic and wellness practices to motivational talks. Topics will include meditation, breathwork, astrology and a workshop led by one of Türkiye’s most well-known self-growth personalities Metin Hara. The three-day event will take place at the Garden of Sun Hotel, where participants can either opt for staying onsite or simply attending the daily workshops.
The Kampway Music Camp will take place in Istanbul’s Park Orman in Düzmeşe Gebze from June 2 to June 4 for three days of camping out accompanied by live music and fun activities from volleyball to costume contests. During the day there will be DJ performances followed by live musical concerts by popular performers such as Retrobus, known for their “blast to the past” performances of Turkish pop classics from the '70s.
Most well-known for his stunning depiction of the “Afghan Girl,” a specially-curated exhibition of over 50 pieces of photographic artwork by world-renowned photographer and photojournalist Steve McCurry is now on display at Istanbul’s Cinema Museum (Istanbul Sinema Müzesi) in Beyoğlu. Located in the Atlas Passage off Istiklal Street, the Istanbul Sinema Müzesi will be hosting this very unique exhibition, which will include images from the photographer taken over the past three decades as well as six never-before-released photographs from the artist’s trip to Istanbul in 2011 and includes a photograph of Türkiye’s most famous photographer Ara Güler. The exhibition, which opened this week, will continue until July 31.
