Every year, the Datça Peninsula gets an early start to spring with the lively and colorful festivities that surround the four-day Almond Blossom Festival (in Turkish, Badem Çiçeği Festivali) on Feb. 15-18.

The festival has a full four-day program of events centered on the region’s agricultural specialty, almond trees, which should be in full blossom.

Events range from stands of almond-themed and local products to a variety of events and contests centered on farming as well as a showcase of local cuisine. In addition to seminars, panels, workshops, kids activities, exhibitions and book signings, there will also be concerts and presentations of regional music and folk dances.

The Datça Peninsula is a stunning expansive coastline on two sides and quaint and picturesque towns in between. This festival takes advantage of this feature by having centers in five different towns and villages as well as a hiking path as the grounds for this multiple-day event that will have stands and simultaneous activities at each location.

There are an overwhelming number of interesting and diverse events going on at each location, adding to the fact that this is hands down the best opportunity to discover Datça.

Throughout the four-day festival, the proper coastal town center of Datça will have stands, exhibitions, and dance and musical performances throughout each day with headline performances by some of Türkiye’s top alternative artists.

From Elif Caglar to Necati and Saykolar, shows by Manus Baba, Datça locals Rampapa and a DJ performance by Burak Caliskanturk mark the festival as a notedly "cool" event. The center will also host a number of entertaining farmer-themed events such as a competition for the best almond and almond shelling as well as an award going to the region’s best almond grove.

On the final day of the festival, Sunday, Feb. 18, one of the highlights will be a cooking competition and an award going to the best chef for the categories of "Best Cold Dish with Regional Herbs," "Cold Dishes with Almonds" and "Almond-Based Desserts."

The historically preserved and aptly named town of Eski Datça, which means "Old Datça," will also be hosting a seminar, a children’s show, and a musical performance for some of the festivals, making for a great opportunity to discover the renovated old stone homes and cobblestone streets that now house shops, cafes and boutique hotels.

The village of Hızırşah is where there will be a silk workshop as well as rock climbing and it will be a stop on a special biking tour of some of the festival sites on Saturday. Reşadiye is the oldest village in Datça and will be showcasing local handcrafts from the region.

There will be a folk dance competition as well as a cooking demonstration of pounding keşkek, an Anatolian ceremonial dish consisting of wheat and barley and meat or chicken. From classical music to traditional Turkish folk songs and even a DJ performance, there will be a plethora of entertainment in this rural cornerstone village in Datça.

Palamutbükü is a coastal village well-known in summer for its pristine sandy beach and the traditional rustic fish restaurants that line it. This beautiful part of the peninsula is revered and rightly so for its untouched and crystal-clear turquoise sea, offering some of the best spots to swim in summer.

For the festival duration, Palamutbuku will have stands presenting handcrafts by local artisans, natural products as well as regional cuisine. Concerts by local musicians include an emphasis on the art of the davul zurna, the drum and reed pipe playing by Türkiye’s iconic wandering minstrels. Meanwhile, Emecik, which is on the whole other side of the island-like peninsula, will be the start of an all-day hike in nature.

Datça is truly a gem in the Aegean and one of the most beloved holiday spots in Muğla. Its biggest drawback is that it is remote, but this works to its benefit because those who make the trek out there by plane, car, ferry or a mixture of all three, are there because they truly love it.

It is more laid back and relaxed than other vacation destinations on the southern coast and has maintained its unique and traditional charm of being a recluse for urbanites, nature lovers and intellectuals alike. While the festival takes place in most of the peninsula’s prime spots, the ancient site of Knidos, which overlooks the sea and is regularly visited on boat tours, is also a sight to behold and to envision what life was like thousands of years ago in its amphitheater with a backdrop of the sea.

Held annually, this festival marks the start of the spring harvest festival season, with festivals devoted to local herbs in Alacati and Bodrum and the Urla Artichoke Festival to follow in the next few months.

Datça comes to life early with this festival that will have thousands of visitors from across the country taking a well-deserved getaway after the more stagnant off-season winter months. There is something of interest for everyone at this four-day festival, which is a special time to discover Datça.

Getting there is not easy as Datça lies at the end of a peninsula that connects to Marmaris. This means it is serviced by either the Dalaman Airport or Bodrum Airport, yet both are still a two- to three-hour drive.

From Bodrum, Datça is serviced by a ferry that also takes cars. It is an adventurous journey aboard this smaller-sized vessel, especially when the waves are roaring as well as pricey and spots are limited so it is crucial to book early.

Datça has loads of accommodation options in most of the villages and seaside neighborhoods. However, staying in the actual town of Datça, which has the most options, will get you closer to the main evening events and all of the restaurants and cafes in this lively seaside town.