New terminal at Sabiha Gokcen airport

Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), located on the Asian side of Istanbul, opened its new International Terminal complex on 31 October 2009, which will be operation starting from November 9th. It's said that the new terminal will multiply airport’s annual capacity to a 25 million passenger mark, and more international flights will land & depart from this airport.

The new terminal has a hotel, a big food court area and a big duty free shopping area at international standards.

U2 in Istanbul on September 6th, 2010

Following the success of the 2009 tour, U2 have confirmed that the 360° Tour will continue in 2010.

European fans who missed out this year will have a new opportunity to experience the 360° Tour with stops confirmed in Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Brussels, Spain and Portugal.

The concert in Istanbul will be held on 6th of September 2010 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Single rate for taxis

As of September 2009, taxis in Istanbul will adopt a single tariff, dropping the night tariff. From now on all taxis will use a single rate tariff.

Istanbul Biennial 12 Sep - 8 Nov 2009

The 11th edition of International Istanbul Biennial will be held between 12 September - 8 November 2009 in Istanbul. It will be curated by What, How & for Whom (WHW), a non-profit organization for visual culture and curators’ collective based in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Biennial is one of the most important cultural events of Istanbul which is housed in several venues around the old and new city (such as the Underground Cistern, Hagia Irene and the imperial mint inside the Topkapi Palace, Taksim-Beyoglu etc).

This is an important cultural event, and in 2010 Istanbul will be the Cultural Capital of Europe, a huge cultural event in the continent.

Intercontinental Istanbul Marathon, 26 Oct

30th edition of the Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon will be run on two continents on 26 October 2008, Sunday. It starts from the Asian side of Istanbul, and ends on the European side of the city.

Besides the 42km marathon, there is also a 10km public run with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people.

Formula 1 Istanbul in 2009, 5-7 June

In 2009 Istanbul Formula 1 race will be held between June 5-7 at Istanbul Park race circuit. This is one of the most popular motor sport events around the world.

Ottoman Janissary Band in Topkapi palace

The Ottoman Janissary Band will perform in Topkapi palace 5 days a week (except Tuesdays & Sundays) during the busy summer period in 2008 to entertain visitors. They already used to do it on irregular basis but now it will be more frequent. The performance will start at 14:30 in front of the 3rd gate of the palace (known as Babussaade or Gate of Felicity).

Normally, these Jannissary bands are organized at the Military museum in Istanbul, and sometimes local tourism authorities organize it in Dolmabahce or Topkapi palaces for the visitors.

Formula 1 Istanbul, May 9-11

5th leg of 2008 Formula 1 race will be held at Istanbul Park race circuit in Istanbul between May 9th - 11th, 2008. Alonso, Raikonen, Massa and many other pilots will be competing for the checker flag. 110 thousand spectators are expected on stage, and about 3 billion people will be seeing it on TV around the world. Don't miss this great international motor sports event.

Salvador Dali's works in Istanbul until 2009

Sabanci University - Sakip Sabanci Museum (SSM) will be hosting oil paintings of the great Spanish painter Salvador Dali in Istanbul. Besides 270 of his works, his photographs and hand writings will be exhibited as well. The exhibitions will be on display from 19th of September 2008 until 19th January of 2009.

Tulip Festival in Istanbul, April 5-13

3rd edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival will be held in various parks of Istanbul with millions of tulips poping up around between April 5th - 13th, 2008. Especially the Emirgan Park will be the center of the festivities.

For those who doesn't know, Tulips are originated from Turkey, not from Holland !!