Fest brings coffee lovers together to Turkish metropolis

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Coffee Festival (ICF), one of the two biggest coffee festivals in Europe, is set to kick off its seventh annual gathering today at KüçükÇiftlik Park in the Maçka/Harbiye neighborhood of the largest Turkish metropolis, Istanbul.

Tens of thousands of coffee lovers are expected to flock to the event, which will last until Oct. 10, to sip on different kinds of coffee from all around the world.

The festival’s program includes the most popular local coffee shops as well as the world-famous coffee shops, various workshops and seminars for those who want to be a barista of their own home, new experiences in different activity areas and concerts by popular musicians.

In line with the event, famous figures of Turkish music such as Feridun Düzağaç, Can Bonomo, Jabbar, Gökhan Türkmen, Burak Kut, Sattas and Safiye will take the stage to delight visitors in the first days of autumn.

The event will also be taking visitors on coffee’s historical journey through time with information, activities and samples of past and present-day delicacies based on the feelings and living spaces created by coffee.

Coffee lovers will be admitted to the event area with high-level health measures.

Staff at KüçükÇiftlik Park venues will check through the visitors’ HES code, which is a coronavirus contact-tracing system, to see whether they have been vaccinated or recovered or have a negative PCR test no later than the past 48 hours.

Tickets are available at dsmbilet.com.

The Ankara leg of the event was held at Bilkent Center in the Turkish capital on Oct. 1, corresponding to World Coffee Day, which eventually turned into an occasion of giving Ankara residents an excuse to have fun and come together.