Everyone loves a festival, especially the Turks. In Turkey, each region holds yearly festivals and events to celebrate the produce and heritage.
Here’s a few of Fethiyes local festivals.
Uzumlu Morel Mushroom Festival
This festival is usually held at the end of April and lasts four days. It celebrates the local mushrooms and promotes knowledge of the edible and inedible varieties that grow throughout the entire region. These Morel mushrooms are picked, dried and exported. In fact, they are considered a delicacy in France and North America. This festival involves lectures, picking with local guides and examples of different ways to cook. There are plenty of samples to be tried.
You can find stalls with traditional homespun cottons and silks, homemade produce, activities for children, a mushroom hunt, drums events, live music and plenty of mushrooms to purchase.
Overall this festival is a fun learning and enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Oludeniz Air Games
The air games are held every year in Oludeniz in the month of October, marking the end of the year’s summer season.
Pilots visit from all over the world to compete in many adrenalin fuelled attractions including hand-gliding, sky diving, base jumping and acrobatic paragliding. The location of the games is simply magnificent and when the sky fills with action and the colorful parachutes it’s a great atmosphere and a fantastic time had by all. Some years the Turk Yildizlari (The Turkish air Force display team) makes a visit to the international air games. Their main display is often performed along Calis Beach.
This event is fun for the whole family and definitely shouldn’t be missed if you’re in Fethiye at the time.
Autumn Ataturk Cup Race
This event is held in the first week in November and is organized in Gocek. It’s sponsored by Gocek Yacht Club. The race is held in remembrance to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and to promote interest in the Mediterranean region. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the founder of the Republic of Turkey, who brought Turkey into the 20th century.
The Lycian Way Marathon
This marathon takes place in the last week of September. It promotes the area as ideal trekking terrain and a friendly international competition. The marathon begins from the western section of the Lycian Way where the forest paths lead down to the local coves. This trail is quite a challenging one and covers a distance of 240km in 9 days. There is accommodation, vehicle support and food provided as well as GPS readings and maps.
Oludeniz Art and Cultural Week
This event is held during the month of June. There are exhibitions, concerts and presentations by well known artists. This friendly event is promoted by the local council and allows businesses and municipalities to introduce themselves to the locals and visitors.
Calis Beach Carnival
During the end of May and lasting three days this event is to promote the area as a stand-alone resort. Locals, tradesmen and children all join the Fethiye International Group to promote the Turkish culture and traditions. Here you will find stalls, activities, tasty food to try and a grand parade along the promenade on the final day of the festival.
Caretta Caretta Turtle Festival
This festival is usually held in the last week in June and celebrates the endangered Caretta Caretta turtle. Dalyan has become a natural haven for them. In the Calis region of Fethiye, nesting areas are protected. During the festival lectures are held in the daytime with presentations by Pamukkale University. During the evenings concerts and exhibitions take place.
Unfortunately during 2020 and 2021 many of these events and festivals had to be cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Hopefully in 2022 these events will take place as usual.