Turkish culture attracts hundreds of thousands in 2024

ANKARA

Türkiye witnessed a remarkable surge in cultural engagement in 2024, with library membership soaring to 6.6 million, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The country's vibrant cultural scene also saw over 2.1 million theatergoers, while opera and ballet performances attracted 134,844 viewers during the Turkish Cultural Road Festivals and other prominent national and international events. Additionally, the art season captivated 613,276 attendees, underscoring the growing enthusiasm for the arts across the nation.

The statement made on the ministry's social media account, shared data regarding the activities carried out in 2024 by institutions affiliated with the ministry in the fields of librarianship, publishing, theater, opera, ballet, cinema, international promotion, projects implemented for children, banderol-protected books and copyright.

Accordingly, the number of public libraries within the ministry reached 1,301, while library usage areas increased to 735,000 square meters. The number of library members reached 6.6 million, and the number of books increased to 25.8 million. By the end of the year, public libraries received a total of 38 million visitors.

Through the ministry's "Literary Works Support Program," support was provided for the publication of 545 debut works in total. Throughout the year, the number of books compiled by the ministry exceeded 105.

State Theaters

For the first time in the 75-year history of the General Directorate of State Theaters, the number of audience members increased by 66 percent, reaching 2,149,361 during the 2023–2024 theater season. A total of 224 plays, 737 tours and 59 stages met with art enthusiasts.

Within the scope of the revived "Great Anatolian Tour," "Truck Theater" staged performances for 41,848 people in 55 provinces and 80 districts.

This year, artistic and technical support was provided to the State Theaters of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). In nine theater festivals, 126,163 audience members attended 424 performances, while at the Cultural Road Festivals, 60 plays and 175 performances reached 63,518 audience members.

State Opera and Ballet

According to the activity data of the General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet affiliated with the ministry, Turkish Cultural Road Festivals reached 134,844 people in 148 events while national and international festivals reached 613,276 people in 1,009 performances during the art season.

In the Anatolian Opera and Ballet Festival held in six provinces, 15 events reached 15,358 viewers. As part of the "Talent Is Everywhere" project, talent screenings for 116 children were conducted in Şırnak, Erzincan, Kırklareli, Ardahan, Hatay and Denizli.

Throughout the year, 56 projects in the cinema sector were supported with 256 million liras, and 108 movie theaters received 28 million liras under the "Support for Domestic Film Screening" program. In total, the cinema sector was supported with 381 million liras.

Internationally, Türkiye made its mark on many platforms in the cinema and TV series sectors, from prestigious festivals like Cannes and Berlin to fairs such as MIPCOM and Dubai.

Turkish films supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry competed in significant festivals in 2024 and were awarded prizes.

As part of the ministry's "Traveling Cinema for Children" project, over 400,000 children in 22 provinces and 150 districts were introduced to cinema. Also, 100,000 children experienced cinema for the first time.

Banderol-protected books and copyrights

According to the statement, due to growth in the publishing sector and efforts to combat pirated books, the number of banderol-protected books increased by 202 percent compared to 2002. The number, which was 135 million in 2002, exceeded 408 million in 2024.

The revenues of professional associations representing copyright holders increased 11-fold over the past decade, reaching 1.165 billion liras in 2023.

This year, 4,293 works and productions were registered. The fields with the most registrations were, respectively, music albums (1,350), computer programs (1,231), scientific and literary works (676) and films (522).