A weekend guide for Istanbul
Yasemin Ulusoy
- Küçükçiftlik Park in Dolmabahçe is hosting a Garden Sale on Saturday and Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to midnight. There you will be able to find fashion and ornamental products, vintage and industrial design objects, and also later enjoy evening film screenings and more surprises. When tired from looking around, grab some food and enjoy the live music resting on the grass - the perfect getaway from the city’s chaos.
- Ecofest Istanbul will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Ulus Aykut Park. Visitors can enjoy concerts, performances, workshops and yoga classes. There will also be an ecological market for nature-friendly products.
- Cihangir Cool for Cats is hosting a Saturday Night Quiz and Disco for Cats on Saturday night, starting at 20.30 p.m at Café Nove in Beyoğlu. If you want to have a good time and help the street animals in Cihangir, the event offers good food and drinks, prizes and music by DJ Ray Mac, going into the late hours of the night.
- For BMX and skateboard enthusiasts, Bayrampaşa ForumIstanbul will be hosting an Extreme Festival on Saturday and Sunday with many different extreme shows and a Street Sports Competition.
- The Moonlit Night Cruise of the Istanbul City Lines takes place this Saturday, offering travelers a unique experience to enjoy live Turkish music while cruising along the moonlit Bosporus. The ferry takes off from different piers in the city starting from 17:30 p.m., ending late at night.
- The music highlight of the weekend is GNCFEST’14, taking place at Maslak ITÜ Stadium on Sunday and featuring live performances from Pharrell Williams, Rita Ora, Inna, maNga, Mabel Matiz and Model.
- Blondie, meanwhile, will take the stage at Black Box Istanbul on Saturday night.
- The famous Nardis Jazz Club in Galata is hosting the Deniz Taşar Band and the Başak Yavuz Band on Friday and Saturday, with both performances beginning at 22:00 p.m. The Shaft Blues & Jazz Club in Kadıköy will host Meli on stage on Saturday at 22:45 p.m. and Acil Servis at 01:00 a.m., followed by a performance by Melek İrdem & Kukla on Sunday at 23:30 p.m.
- Randy Esen and Şenova Ülker will be performing in the Jazz at Sea series on Friday, with the cruise door opening at 19:00 p.m. at Cemil Topuzlu Park in Kuruçeşme, departing at 21:00 p.m. and returning at midnight. The Yeni Türkü ensemble has been performing since the late 1970s and is known for its unique mix of traditional Turkish and modern instrumental sounds, and will perform at Beyoğlu’s Jolly Joker on Friday.
- Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a brand new experience this weekend, Gayrettepe Metro Station is hosting the “Dialogue in the Dark Istanbul” that aims to give its visitors an insight into the daily life of blind people. Visitors will be led through specially constructed dark rooms by blind guides, in which scent, sound, wind, texture, and temperature are used to understand the environment. The experience is built around the typical daily routines of the city resident - but the routines are experienced in completely different ways. The Dialogue in the Dark series has been presented in over 30 countries across the world since 1988, and English tours in Istanbul take place on Friday at 18:00 p.m., Saturday at 14:00 p.m./16:00 p.m./18:00 p.m, and Sunday at 14:00 p.m./16:00 p.m.
