Ankara is in the middle of its biggest cultural moment of the year. The fifth Ankara Culture Route Festival kicked off on Friday, Sept. 19, and runs through Sept. 27, packing 518 events into 42 venues across the Turkish capital — concerts, theatre, dance, exhibitions, workshops, kids' activities and a serious gastronomy program.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy launched the edition with a tour of four exhibitions at CSO Ada Ankara. One of the most interesting is "The Meeting of Colors and Dialogue of Two Cultures," developed with the South Korean embassy, which pairs traditional Korean Minhwa folk painting with Turkish miniature art — two traditions that, according to Ersoy, share a surprising amount in color, storytelling and composition. There's also "Ankara Resimleniyor," where artists interpret the capital's historic buildings and changing urban life, and a poster design competition for young designers themed around Ankara's role as the 2026 Tourism Capital of the Turkic World.
The sustainability-minded should seek out ASELSAN's "A Vision for an Upcycled Future": five sculptures — a horse, cat, albatross, goat and wolf — made by international artists from retired electronic and industrial materials. The works have already toured Eskişehir and Bursa and will move on to Istanbul, İzmir and Antalya after Ankara.
The music lineup punches well above a typical city festival. The main stage at Başkent Millet Bahçesi hosts big Turkish names including Ceza, Sefo, Gökhan Türkmen, Ebru Yaşar and Özcan Deniz, with a children's village on site. Classical fans get the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko with pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, plus the National Arab Orchestra with Palestinian vocalist Nai Barghouti at CSO Ada Ankara. The Ankara State Opera and Ballet performs a piano-accompanied concert version of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," and "Two States, One Stage" joins Turkish and Azerbaijani traditions in honour of composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
There's depth beyond the headline acts too: 24 exhibitions, 12 talks, seven children's plays, and a "Living Heritage" show at the July 15 Democracy Museum featuring ebru, calligraphy, weaving and tile art from certified heritage bearers — Ankara counts 67 registered intangible heritage elements and five "Living Human Treasures" among its artisans. Hungry visitors can work through more than 50 restaurants in the "Ankara Culinary Destinations" selection, with chef Mehmet Yalçınkaya hosting and fellow chefs touring venues for tastings and workshops.
Why it matters: if you've only ever passed through Ankara on the way to Cappadocia or Istanbul, this festival makes a strong case for stopping. The capital holds the Turkic World's 2026 Tourism Capital title, and the programme gives you a rare single-window look at its architecture, artisans, food scene and music — mostly at public venues you can revisit any time of year. It's also one of 26 cities now on the national Culture Route network, so if you miss Ankara, similar festivals run elsewhere in Türkiye. For travellers already in the country this week, entry to most exhibitions and many performances is easy to build into a city stay — just check the festival programme for times at CSO Ada Ankara and Başkent Millet Bahçesi.
Story first reported by Daily Sabah Travel.