Sümela Culture Route Festival Begins...

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said they aim to expand the Culture Route Festivals to 35 cities by 2028 by adding 5 cities each year.

Minister Ersoy held a press conference at the Boztepe Viewing Terrace regarding the "Sümela Culture Route Festival" organized in Trabzon as part of the Türkiye Culture Route Festivals.

Noting that the Culture Route Festivals, launched in 2020 with the Beyoğlu Culture Route Festival, were expanded to 5 cities last year and to 11 cities as of this year, Ersoy explained that more than 33 million citizens had the opportunity to attend the festival events held last year in 5 cities with the participation of more than 30,000 artists.

Minister Ersoy continued as follows:

"The Culture Route Festivals, which appeal to citizens of every age group and every walk of life and provide intensive, effective, and easy access to culture and the arts, also yield very significant results in promoting and branding the provinces where they are held, both in Türkiye and abroad. That is why they are among the foremost projects we value as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. By adding 5 cities each year, God willing, our goal will be to expand the Culture Route Festivals to as many as 35 cities by 2028."

"Our Series Will Last 100 Days and Continue Until November 12"

Recalling that this year they kicked off the series on August 5 with the Cappadocia Balloon and Culture Route Festival, Minister Ersoy continued his remarks as follows:

"There was a great deal of participation. More than 1 million people attended over 300 events. It was also very beautiful; with its natural scenery, Cappadocia offered wonderful images. It was already a well-known city of ours, but because it also coincided with a low season, it provided very significant benefits in terms of both occupancy and increased economic activity. Our series will be a 100-day series. It will continue until November 12 across 11 cities in total. Today we are continuing with the second leg of the series with the Trabzon Sümela Culture Route Festival and the Erzurum Palandöken Culture Route Festival."

Explaining that very important concerts and events will be held in Trabzon at various locations such as the Fair Center, July 15 Martyrs and Hürriyet Park, and the Culture Center, Ersoy noted the following:

"At the Kızlar Monastery, we will exhibit a very important installation by the Latvian photographic artist Andris Zegners. Many events will also have the opportunity to meet our citizens during this festival, whether the sold-out works of the State Theaters or the works of Ahmet Yenilmez and the Süheyl and Behzat Uygur brothers. We will also have the opportunity to present free of charge to viewers the film 'Kesişme,' which tells the story of Eren Bülbül, who was martyred during the clash with terrorists in Maçka, Trabzon, and Ferhat Gedik, who, while trying to protect him, was martyred at the age of 41 with 41 bullet wounds."

"A Definite Date Will Now Be Announced at the End of the Season"

Underlining that the cities where events are held will be included within the scope of the Culture Route Festival every year, Minister Ersoy made the following assessment:

"Each year a specific date is fixed, and the festivals are held on that date. In the first year, we are looking to finalize the dates of the Culture Route Festivals. This year too, we will finalize the date by meeting together with both our Mayor and our deputies. A definite date will now be announced at the end of the season. The Culture Route Festivals will come to be held in Trabzon every year on the same date. We are thereby providing our citizens with easy, effective, and intensive access to culture and the arts, but most importantly we are accelerating the recognition and branding process of our cities, foremost in Türkiye and across the whole world. From this perspective too, I wish good fortune to these festivals, which we consider very beneficial."

Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy, noting that he would travel to Erzurum in the afternoon, said: "The Palandöken Culture Route Festival started on the same date. As soon as the festival ends, the festival will continue in the first week of September, on September 9, with the Troy Çanakkale Culture Route Festival in Çanakkale and the Gastroantep and Capital Culture Route Festivals. God willing, we will have completed the 11-city series by November 12."

Minister Ersoy was accompanied by Trabzon Governor Aziz Yıldırım, AK Party Trabzon Members of Parliament Adil Karaismailoğlu, Mustafa Şen, and Yılmaz Büyükaydın, Trabzon Metropolitan Mayor Murat Zorluoğlu, AK Party Provincial Chairman Sezgin Mumcu, Ortahisar Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç, and Akçaabat Mayor Osman Nuri Ekim.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy then visited the festival's events together with his wife Pervin Ersoy and joined the procession walk.

The "Sümela Culture Route Festival," which began today in Trabzon, will continue until August 27 with various events such as concerts, film screenings, theater, and exhibitions.