The idea of a nation narrating itself through cultural festivals is not new, but with the Türkiye Culture Route Festival; the country has embarked on a unique map guided by memory and curated art from Adana to Antalya. The festival begins in April and ends in November.

This summer is the historic city Bursa’s turn. Nestled beneath the famous ski-slopes of Uludag, Bursa is a city of tombs, mosques, hans, and thermal waters. Now, it turns into an open-air theatre for “art and history”.

“The Türkiye Culture Route Festival is a far-reaching initiative to bring our country’s rich cultural heritage to wider audiences, to transform our cities into open-air stages of art and history, and to introduce our unique history, art, and geography to both domestic and international visitors,” Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism tells TRT World.

First launched with the Beyoglu Culture Route Festival in 2021, the project has grown into one of the country’s most comprehensive cultural and artistic movements. In its fifth year, the festival now covers 20 cities across all seven regions, evolving into an eight-month cultural season.

“With this festival, we aim to spotlight Bursa’s economic, historical, and cultural importance,” Ersoy says. “It offers a vital opportunity for visitors to connect more deeply with the soul of the city and its local heritage.”

The festival’s arrival in Bursa holds particular symbolic weight. Emel Gozukara Durmaz, Member of Parliament for Bursa, highlighted the city’s unique role.

“The fact that the Culture Route Festival is being held in Bursa is deeply meaningful. This city is not only the guardian of a rich historical heritage but also a centre of aesthetic urban identity, cultural depth, and the accumulated wisdom of an ancient civilization,” she tells TRT World.

This year’s Bursa edition, running from June 28 through July 6, features around 600 events spread across 71 venues. The program includes concerts, exhibitions, panel discussions, stage performances, and family-oriented workshops; all designed to engage audiences of every generation.

Picasso and “Sun of Art” displays

Among the festival’s most anticipated offerings are two digital exhibitions.

One showcases works from the Ankara State Museum of Painting and Sculpture, including pieces by Osman Hamdi Bey and Abidin Dino, digitally reinterpreted by contemporary artists.

A second digital exhibition, titled “From Sketch to Pixel,” explores the evolving landscape of new media art, featuring an eclectic mix of kinetic installations, bio-art, electronic textiles, and sound design by both Turkish and international creators.

Picasso makes an appearance; his name, if not his presence, with an exhibition of authenticated works titled Creation Is Everything. The show includes posters, drawings, lithographs: minor works, but rarely seen in Türkiye. It is a strategic kind of cultural importation, designed to universalise the national effort.

“It’s difficult to list all our events,” says Ersoy. “But I must mention the tribute exhibition and concert dedicated to Zeki Muren, our beloved ‘Sun of Art.’ Honouring him in his birthplace not only keeps his memory alive but also introduces his artistic legacy to younger generations.”

The State Fine Arts Gallery will feature an exhibition titled “Nuri Pakdil and Jerusalem,” while the Bursa City Museum offers a rare glimpse into the life of legendary Turkish singer Zeki Muren through a curated display of his personal belongings and donated works, honouring his enduring cultural legacy.

Beyond its vibrant programming, the festival has contributed to Türkiye’s growing prominence in the global tourism arena. Cultural initiatives such as this are widely credited with helping the country rise from fifth to fourth place in international tourism rankings. The linkage between culture and tourism is no longer theoretical; it is strategic, operational, and highly visible.

In addition, a wide range of thematic exhibitions enriches the festival experience.

These include “Adil-i Mutlak,” the “Quasimotho Painting Exhibition,” and “Traces from Tradition to Future: Turkish Archery in Ottoman Bursa,” as well as captivating showcases such as “Türkiye from the Sky,” “Princes and Sultans,” “Ottoman Military Through Paintings,” and “Heritage of Bursa.”

“Culture-infused tourism”

The festival is not merely a matter of programming. It is part of a broader national initiative that increasingly links culture to tourism and tourism to national prestige.

Public spaces across Türkiye, from archaeological sites to libraries and squares, continue to be transformed by this vision of what Minister Ersoy calls: “culture-infused tourism.” Children participate in creative workshops, youth attend concerts, and families explore exhibitions and dialogues that bring the past and future into shared conversation.

“We are now speaking of an organisation recognised among Europe’s most distinguished festivals,” Ersoy says. “Being a member of the European Festivals Association confirms the direction and strength of our cultural and tourism policies. It shows that art and culture are not only meeting the public, they are becoming an integral part of community life.”

The festival offers a rich program blending tradition, performance, and family-friendly activities. Hands-on workshops in crafts like filigree, ceramics, woodwork, marbling, and miniature painting will be open to all ages, alongside traditional archery sessions at Merinos Park.

Theatre performances, panels, and talks will run throughout the city. To honour Bursa’s culinary legacy, select restaurants will serve as “Taste Spots,” where acclaimed chefs present regional dishes across 11 venues.

Durmaz added: “Along this cultural journey stretching from the Hanlar District to the foothills of Uludag, the city’s historical textures will be reinterpreted through the lens of art, and its collective memory will be further strengthened through the festival’s diverse events.”

Durmaz praised the Ministry’s leadership, describing the initiative as “a visionary step capable of sparking a transformation that touches the very soul of our cities,” and extended a warm invitation: “I warmly invite all our fellow citizens to take part in these events and become part of this cultural celebration.”

As the Türkiye Culture Route Festival continues its nationwide journey, Bursa offers an example of the initiative’s core ambition: to reawaken civic memory, to celebrate cultural identity, and to shape a shared national narrative; celebrated in the open air, where art meets the people and history walks beside imagination.