Ephesus Cultural Road Festival kicks off in İzmir

İZMİR

The 10th destination of the Türkiye Cultural Road Festivals, one of the most comprehensive culture and arts projects organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, is the Ephesus Cultural Road Festival.

The event was opened at a ceremony at a press conference held on Oct. 28 at the İzmir Culture and Arts Factory, which was opened in the venue of the Alsancak Tekel Factory last year after restoration and will continue with various activities through Nov. 5.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that they added Ankara to the cultural road series that started with the Beyoğlu Culture Road Festival in Istanbul in 2021, noting that they increased the number of cities to five last year.

Stating that they wanted to make a 100-day series on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic this year, Ersoy said, “This 100-day series started on Aug. 5 in Nevşehi and continued with Çanakkale, Gaziantep, Istanbul and Ankara. And it will further continue with İzmir and Antalya. The events are for all age groups. Everyone can participate in several different art events. We want the cities to be full of art for nine days."

"We increased the number of festival cities to 11. We aim to increase the number these cities to 35 by 2028 by regularly adding four-five more cities every year and we will add an international dimension to them. If possible, we will announce the events much in advance. We will start announcing next year's event programs by the end of November. The event programs will be announced a year in advance. There will be around 30,000 artists. Millions of citizens will participate in the events that will continue from April 1 to Dec. 1, which is a period of 240 days. We are in İzmir for the 10th of the series," Ersoy added.

Noting that the restored Tekel Factory in İzmir is one of the important spots in the city, Ersoy said, "We restored this area in a very short time. We are in talks with the surrounding institutions. We will expand this area. There will also be an event in Kültürpark. There are works especially for young people. 100 works will be exhibited. As part of the Cultural Road Festivals, we organize all kinds of art.”

Erso also invited the guests to the next event in Antalya, saying, “I am also waiting for you in Antalya on Nov. 4. We will organize a festival with more widespread events in Antalya."

The İzmir Culture and Arts Factory, which has a closed area of 20,000 square meters, will host open-air concerts, talks and exhibitions. One of these exhibitions will be the “Young Art: Ninth Contemporary Art Project Competition” exhibition, organized in memory of the 50th anniversary of Aşık Veysel's death.

There will also be the “Exhibition of Women's Clothing from the 1920s to the Present” and stand-up performances.

Kolekta will also meet art lovers for the first time in İzmir within the scope of the Ephesus Cultural Road Festival with its new exhibition series “Far, Near.” The exhibition will also host its visitors in two venues, İzmir Painting and Sculpture Museum Kültürpark Art Gallery and İzmir Painting and Sculpture Museum Art and History Gallery through Nov. 28.

Among many others, another important exhibition will be on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at Folkart Gallery. The exhibition will start with the Ephesus Cultural Road Festival and can be visited during and after the festival through April 2024.

As part of the events, the gastronomic riches of İzmir will also be discussed at the festival with various gastronomy programs.