Türkiye's premier technology and aviation event, Teknofest, organized in the southern city of Adana this year welcomed around 1.1 million visitors, the organizers said Sunday.
Starting on Wednesday, the five-day event included numerous workshops, competitions, airshows, seminars and concerts.
The festival showcases Türkiye's growing ambitions and expanding capabilities in technology and defense. Since its inception in 2018, Teknofest has become a symbol of the nation's technological aspirations, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
From competitions and air shows to exhibitions and advanced technology simulations, the event offers something for everyone.
The event is organized by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3) and the Industry and Technology Ministry, with participation from 128 institutions, including government bodies, tech firms, universities and media organizations.
Teknofest serves as a vital platform for nurturing young entrepreneurs. Over the years, it has helped launch numerous startups, and officials hope it will continue to fuel Türkiye's ambition to become a leading player in the global technology landscape.
The event is held in various Turkish cities in even years and the metropolis of Istanbul in odd years.
Last year, it was held three times in honor of Türkiye's centennial in Istanbul, the capital of Ankara and the Aegean city of Izmir.
The first nine editions of the event hosted 10 million people in total and saw four million competition applicants.
Next year, the event will be held twice, once in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and once in Istanbul, the head of the event organizer T3 said on Sunday.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of Teknofest 2024, Selçuk Bayraktar, chair of the Teknofest board and head of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation, said that with next year's festivals in the TRNC and Istanbul, "We will achieve new successes with the youth of both our country and friendly regions."
"In spite of those who drown humanity in darkness on the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean, we will raise the light of hope in Northern Cyprus with Teknofest," he said.
With projects rising in the skies above Istanbul, the Tekofest revolution will be taken one step further, he stressed.
This year's event in Adana marked the 10th edition of Teknofest, which started in Istanbul in 2018.
In 2022, an international edition of the event was held for the first time in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.
