Türkiye’s eclectic collection of festivals offers visitors a valuable insight into the colourful history of the country.
1 Balloon Festival in Cappadocia
Cappadocia’s rugged moonscape valleys are one of Türkiye’s most iconic vistas and it’s thanks in no small part to the hundreds of multi-coloured balloons, which fill the region’s skies every year. Each July, the town of Ürgüp hosts the iconic Balloon Festival, which sees the air teaming with more than 150 balloons from all over the world.
Visitors can enjoy the unique spectacle from the ground or book a flight to soak up the region’s stunning landscapes from a unique aerial perspective, as well as witnessing balloon pilots’ skills in an adrenaline-fuelled flying competition. DJ sets, music concerts, dance performances, food vendors and more fill the town over the four- to five-day festival, while in the evenings, landbound balloons are lit up in a mesmerising display of globular light.