From June 21 to 29, the coastal city of Samsun will come alive with the second edition of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, turning the Black Sea’s historic port into a dynamic cultural hub. With more than 400 events spread across 40 venues, this is more than just a festival. It is a sweeping celebration of art, memory and transformation – a true cultural awakening over nine days.
The Türkiye Culture Route Festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, kicked off its 2025 journey in Adana on June 21. Since its inception in 2021, the festival has been growing, offering art lovers a rich cultural experience. Why is the second edition of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival worth watching? Because it bridges traditional Turkish culture with global art forms and because it redefines cities not as peripheries of culture but as its vibrant epicenters.
As part of the festival, Samsun hosts several notable exhibitions and performances. One of the highlights is the Turkish premiere of the Broadway classic “Singin’ in the Rain” The Samsun leg of the festival opened with a historic first: the Turkish premiere of the Broadway classic “Singin’ in the Rain” performed by the Samsun State Opera and Ballet at the Atatürk Cultural Center on June 21, 2025. This dazzling production, directed and translated into Turkish by Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu, was more than a performance; it was a technical and artistic milestone. For the first time on a Turkish stage, it rained indoors. Yes, actual rainfall was created live onstage, involving a team of 160 professionals. A feat that marked a new chapter in the history of Turkish performing arts.
This adaptation of “Singin’ in the Rain” was a deep dive into the glitzy yet superficial world of Hollywood’s golden age, where the transition from silent films to talkies mirrors the chaos and beauty of change. Amid this upheaval, the love story of Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden becomes a tender lens on themes like loyalty, sincerity and resilience. The musical subtly critiques a world obsessed with image over substance. The production featured choreography by Yunus Emre Örgüt, set design by Tayfun Çebi, costumes by Gülnur Çağlayan Tuluk, lighting by Oğuz Murat Yılmaz, video projection by Murat Turgut and symphonic arrangements by Kıvanç Tepe. The Samsun State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, led by concertmaster Didem Tepe, brought Broadway’s iconic melodies to life with grandeur and grace.
At the Samsun Atatürk Cultural Center, the “Samsun in Miniatures” exhibition offers a magical lens into the city’s layered past. Artists from across the country use fine miniature brushwork to depict Samsun’s history in intricate detail. Just steps away, “Anatolia’s Tale Route” invites visitors to walk through the fables of childhood, where illustrated folktales whisper echoes of long-lost dreams. Over at Tütün Pier, the exhibition “Türkiye from the Sky” delivers more than a bird’s-eye view; it offers a soaring visual narrative of the country’s spirit. It’s not just geography on display, but the choreography of a nation.
And for those seeking to confront the past, the “National Struggle” exhibition featuring Atatürk’s original military uniform and curated by the Hisart Live History Museum unfolds at Gazi Museum. Dioramas, authentic documents and military gear remind visitors that Samsun is not just where a national movement began, but where memory itself finds a home. At the heart of spiritual symbolism is Serdar Okan’s “Tılsım” exhibition, where enchanted Ottoman shirts become artistic relics. These garments are part textile and part talisman, carrying ancient prayers and metaphysical hopes, transfigured onto canvas. Curated by Ismail Erdoğan, the show captures the intersection of magic, faith and aesthetics.
Inside the new Samsun Museum, visitors journey through time via three compelling exhibitions: “The Scent Journey from Antiquity to Today,” “Being a Child Through the Ages” and “The Cosmos Interpreted Through Art.” Smell, play and prayer emerge as the essential elements of being human, evoking both memory and wonder.
At the Panorama Samsun Digital Display Center, miniature art comes alive in motion. “Words and Colors from İskender Pala’s Novels” fuses literature with visual art, while “Living Heritage: Bafra Zembili” brings artisanal craft into the realm of contemporary storytelling. Here, the local speaks in a universal tongue. Amid this vibrant artistic mosaic, Samsun is no longer just a stop – it is a statement. This summer, if you seek a city where the sea meets memory and where art and history move in rhythm, follow the Culture Route north to Samsun.
