Events to go to in Istanbul this week

Istanbul’s famous seasons are not its ordinary week. Ramadan changes the nights. The Biennial fills the city on its own cycle. A stadium show is announced like a stadium show. The rest of the year is bazaars, ferries, breakfast, and whatever is actually booked into a room off İstiklal or in Kadıköy. This page keeps those things separate.

The cards below are examples. They are not real events, they do not link to tickets, and FeelingFlexi is not selling them. The Grand Bazaar, the ferries, Karaköy, Sultanahmet and Kadıköy are real. Their hours and programmes are not frozen. Check before you go. For a weekend of places rather than listings, read things to do in Istanbul this weekend.

Example listings. The events on this page are samples that show the format. They are not real events; live listings come from ticket partners.

The weekend, as a sample: this weekend

Use Saturday for Sultanahmet and one bazaar, and the evening for Karaköy or Beyoğlu. Sunday is the ferry to Kadıköy or the islands, not a second late night plus a festival that is not happening.

• Example

  Friday · 20:00

  Example Golden Horn Set

  Example Room, Karaköy

  A sample waterfront gig. Karaköy is a real part of Istanbul. This room and this band are not, and there is no ticket.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Saturday · 17:00

  Example Courtyard Band

  Example Court, Beyoğlu

  An illustrative afternoon in a real neighbourhood. The booking is not real, and the card cannot promise the weather.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Saturday · 09:30

  Example Saturday Breakfast

  Example Kitchen, Karaköy

  A format example of a weekend breakfast. It is not a café you can call and not a menu.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Saturday · 19:30

  Example Bosphorus Supper

  Example Table, Ortaköy

  A made-up seating on a real shore. If you want dinner, book a real table and check it is open.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Friday · 19:00

  Example İstiklal Social

  Example Bar, Beyoğlu

  A sample early evening. İstiklal will still be there. This guest list will not.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Saturday · 22:30

  Example Saturday Room

  Example Club, Beyoğlu

  A sample late card with nowhere to buy a ticket, because there is nothing to buy.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

Midweek, as a sample: midweek

Midweek is when the palaces are calmer and a weeknight in Kadıköy or Beyoğlu is easier to plan. Believe a venue schedule more than a weekend rumour.

• Example

  Wednesday · 20:30

  Example Weeknight Trio

  Example Stage, Kadıköy

  A midweek sample on the Asian side. The trio is invented. The neighbourhood is not.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Thursday · 19:00

  Example Weeknight Tasting

  Example Bar, Beyoğlu

  An illustrative tasting off İstiklal. Not a venue you can call.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Thursday · 20:30

  Example Comedy Hour

  Example Room, Kadıköy

  A sample comedy hour. Real Istanbul comedy nights publish their own bills and change them.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

• Example

  Tuesday · 15:00

  Example Shore Walk

  Example Path, Karaköy

  The shore is real. This tour is not. Walk it yourself, or book a named boat.

  Check before you go · Example only. Not a real event.

What an Istanbul week is usually made of

Music

Week-to-week music in Istanbul is small rooms in Beyoğlu and Kadıköy, plus large concerts that are announced properly when they happen. A sample card is not that announcement. Check before you go.

Food and drink

A long breakfast is the weekend meal people mean, and the café still has to exist this week. The Spice Bazaar is for shopping. Bosphorus fish restaurants are a habit, not a guarantee. Ramadan changes hours. Book a real table if the night matters.

Nightlife

The side streets of Beyoğlu are the walkable night. Karaköy is earlier. Kadıköy is the Asian-side evening. Know the last ferry. A sample guest list is not a door.

Festivals

Ramadan, the bayrams and the Istanbul Biennial are the dates people ask about. They are real, they are not weekly, and they are not pinned to this example week. Commercial dervish shows are a separate, uneven product. Read the ticket. A sample square card is not a permit.

Tours and outdoors

The Galata Bridge, a ferry to Kadıköy, a Bosphorus shore and the Princes’ Islands are the outdoor shapes. Pier cruises vary. The sample walks below are not a company. Check the boat and the weather before you treat noon as a plan.

Plan around the ferry, not around a poster

Do not borrow the Biennial

The Istanbul Biennial is a real exhibition when it is on. It is not an example card, and it is not automatically installed because you are in Karaköy. Check the year. The same restraint applies to Ramadan and the bayrams.

Confirm the pier and the mosque rules

Ferry terminals and Hagia Sophia’s visiting rules both change. A sample card cannot tell you which gate is open on Saturday.

Leave the bridge before you need a plan

The Galata Bridge is a good early night and a colder late one. Eat in Karaköy or Beyoğlu, and know whether a ferry is still running if the Asian side is home.

FeelingFlexi does not sell tickets. Sample cards are not a checkout. Partner listings in the app are sold by the partner, at the partner’s price.

If you came for the Biennial or a religious holiday, use those calendars. If you came for an ordinary good week, the categories below are the map, and the app is the deck.

Questions