Art lovers in Istanbul will have a wide range of cultural events to choose from this week, including exhibitions, concerts, theater productions and film screenings.
A creative writing workshop titled "Tracing the Image, the City, and the Sensation: Creative Writing" will be held at the Pera Museum at 7 p.m. on July 17 as part of Petek Halman Kara's exhibition, "By the Water: The Life and Art of Halil Paşa."
"The Little Prince: An Adventure in Istanbul," featuring aerial acrobatics, digital stage technologies and interactive effects, will be staged at Yücel Art Center on July 19, 20, 24, 25 and 31.
Concerts
The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet will present the concert "For the Homeland: The Will Is Ours, Victory Is Ours" at 8 p.m. on July 15 at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) Theater Hall to mark Democracy and National Unity Day.
The band Mashroom will take the stage with its "City Sounds: Mashroom" concert at 8:30 p.m. on July 16 at the Zorlu PSM Vestel Amphitheater.
British rock band Suede will perform at 9:30 p.m. on July 17 at the Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage in an event organized by Epifoni and Zorlu PSM.
Virtual band Gorillaz, founded by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett in 1998, will perform in Türkiye for the first time at Bonus Parkorman on July 14 and 16 as part of the promotional tour for its upcoming 2026 album, "The Mountain."
Turkish ensemble Barabar will perform its "HepBarabar" project, featuring guest artists interpreting traditional melodies, at 9:15 p.m. on July 17 at the ENKA Eşref Denizhan Open-Air Theater.
Theater
The Imperial Russian Ballet Company will stage Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" at 9 p.m. on July 17 at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater as part of its world tour.
Peter Shaffer's acclaimed play "Amadeus," starring Selçuk Yöntem, Tansu Biçer and Dilan Çiçek Deniz-Özlem Öçalmaz, will be performed at 9 p.m. on July 15 at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.
Miguel de Cervantes' classic "Don Quixote," starring Selçuk Yöntem and Zuhal Olcay, will be staged at 9 p.m. on July 16 at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.
The comedy "Alevli Günler" ("Fiery Days”), featuring Güven Kıraç, Erkan Can, Levent Ülgen and Bahtiyar Engin, will be performed at 9 p.m. on July 15 at the Selamiçeşme Freedom Park Amphitheater in Kadıköy.
Dusan Kovacevic's cult classic "The Professional," starring Bülent Emin Yarar and Yetkin Dikinciler, will be staged at 9 p.m. on July 18 at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Stage.
Exhibitions
The "Günebakan" ("Sunflower") group exhibition, organized by the Ministry of National Education as part of the "Decade of Family and Population" initiative, features works by teachers exploring the themes of family, unity and solidarity at the Dolmabahçe Palace Museum of Palace Collections Exhibition Hall.
Inspired by the light of Anatolia, the group exhibition "The Edge of the Sun" will remain on view at Kalyon Kültür through Sept. 30.
"The Habits" exhibition is on display at Decollage Art Space through Aug. 30.
"Virginia Woolf: Echoes Across Shores," which reimagines the celebrated author's world through contemporary art, continues at Istanbul Bilgi University through July 24.
At Istanbul Modern, "Semiha Berksoy: Aria of All Colors" brings together more than 200 works highlighting Berksoy's contributions to opera, theater, painting, cinema and literature. The exhibition runs through Sept. 6.
Contemporary artist Yoko Ono's "Insound and Instructure" exhibition remains on view at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum through Dec. 27.