Several Çeşme festivals & competitions are hosted annually in the town, celebrating its cultural heritage and vibrant community. Below is a selection of Çeşme festivals & competitions held in and around Çeşme in the order typically held throughout the year. Some events do not occur every year, and dates may vary from year to year:
Çeşme Festivals & Competitions – Table of Contents
The Alaçatı Herb Festival – (late March/April – Alaçatı Town Centre)
The spring festival started in 2010 and, in 2023, was held for its 12th time between 27-30 April (later than usual due to the Ramadan holidays). The Çeşme Municipality organises it to celebrate the Aegean region’s unique agriculture, cuisine, culture and crafts.
During the festival, many of the central streets of Alaçatı are filled with stands selling herb produce, jams and preserves, cooked foods, and arts and crafts. With the narrow streets and attendance estimated at over 1 million, the area can become somewhat crowded.
Features of the festival include “the best herb dish” judged by a famous Turkish chef, cooking workshops, nutrition seminars, a festival procession along the streets of Alaçatı, choir concerts at Alacati Amfi Tiyatro, folk, jazz, pop and rock concerts, late-night DJs, dancers and a variety of other entertainment. Much of the 2023 festival was related to and dedicated to the earthquake victims in the Hatay province.
Alaçatı Photographers Marathon (Last Held in May 2024)
Alaçatı Photographers Marathon Website – 22-26 May 2024
The Alaçatı Tourism Association and Izmir Photographic Art Association (IFOD) hosted Turkey’s influential artists, writers and academics within the scope of the Alaçatı Photographers Marathon between May 24-26, 2024. The festival included photo exhibitions, presentations, interviews, book signature days, mentoring and portfolio evaluations.
The Çeşme Open Chess Tournament – (May/June – Çeşme)
10th Çeşme Open Chess Tournament Website – 23-30 June 2024
The chess competition is held at the Ayios Haralambos Church in the centre of Çeşme, and the Sıdıka Kelami Ertan Secondary School Indoor Sports Hall is an event consisting of nine rounds lasting seven days using the accelerated Swiss system. The Turkish Chess Federation organises the competition in coordination with the Çeşme Municipality. The competition is open to all nationalities, all entries over the age of seven years old and all standards of player and entry are split into Elo (chess rating system) categories (A) +2,000, (B) +1,600, (C) less than 1,600, or no Elo rating. The total prize fund in 2023 was TL300,000 (€11,000), with the winner receiving TL50,000 (€1,750). In 2024, the total prize money is TL600,000 (€17,000).
The competition is growing in popularity, and in 2024, it attracted 815 participants (516 in 2023), with overseas Grandmasters from Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Russia, Slovakia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and the USA, as well as International Masters and FIDE Masters from Canada, Germany, Kazakhstan, Iceland, Spain and South Africa. The 2023 winners were (1st) Vugar Rasulov – Azerbaijan; (2nd) Ulvi Sadikhov – Azerbaijan; and (3rd) Eray Kilic – Turkey.
The competition is typically held in late spring, usually in May or June, each year, although in 2017, it was held in September, and in 2020 and 2021, it was cancelled due to COVID restrictions.
Saloman Çeşme Half Marathon – (June – Çeşme + Alaçatı to Cesme)
2025 Saloman Çeşme Half Marathon – Scheduled for 3 June 2025 (registration deadline 30 April 2025)
The Saloman Çeşme races consist of three races: a full marathon (42k), a half marathon (24k) and a 10,000m (10k) race. The full and half marathons start in front of the Çeşme Courthouse at 07:30 and 08:00, respectively; both pass through Ilıca and Alaçatı, returning to Çeşme and the 42k has an extra loop to and from Altınkum Plajı via Çiftlik. The 10K race is at 09:00, starting at Alaçatı Town Hall (Belediyesi) and finishing in Çeşme.
On the day before the race is an expo and registration desks at Cumhuriyet Meydanı in Çeşme town centre, which continues on the morning of race day with warm-up activities. The race is open to everyone over 18 with an approved medical certificate and 16-18 with parents permission. Entry into the race in 2025 is TL 800-1,200 (€22-€33) for the full marathon, TL 600-900 (€16-€26) for the half marathon and TL 450-650 (€12-€18) for the 10K depending when registration is made.
The 2024 half marathon race winner was Üzeyir Söylemez (Turkey) in 1 hour, 09 minutes 33.07 seconds. The 10K race winner was Bedri Şimşek (Turkey) in 34 minutes 31.81 seconds.
Electronica Festival Çeşme – (July – Altınkum Beach, Çiftlikköy)
Electronica Festival Turkey hosts two electronic festivals yearly, one in the Zorlu Centre in Istanbul and the other on Altınkum Beach in Çeşme.
Çeşme Festival – (September – Çeşme & Alaçatı)
Notifications on Çeşme Municipality Facebook Site – 13-16 September 2024
A festival organised by the municipality over four days in Çeşme and Alaçatı, including parades, concerts, commemoration speeches, presentations and workshops. The venues include Çeşme Cumhuriyet Meydanı (the main square next to the Atatūrk statue), the Ayios Haralambos Church, Çeşme Marina, Alaçatı Cumhuriyet Meydanı and Alaçatı Amphitheatre. The festivities are mainly in the late afternoon and evening, though the fourth day includes morning activities. The 2024 festival is dedicated to the culture of the 1990s in Çeşme.
Free concerts at the 2024 festival included Duo Blue, Turkish singer-songwriter Ceylan Ertem, Turkish folk band Ezginin Günlügu and the famous and prolific Turkish group Yeni Türkü, founded in the 1970s. The group’s repertoire included classic Turkish pop hits and reinterpretations of folk songs.
The Raymarine Tuna Masters Alaçatı – (September – Alaçatı Marina)
2023 Tuna Masters Website – 14-17 September 2023 – see also LikeCesme “Fishing”
The Raymarine Tuna Masters Alaçatı is a competition that has been hosted by Alaçatı Marina seventeen times up to 2023. The competition takes place in mid-September (before 2020 in early October) and is over four days (Thursday-Sunday), with two days of fishing from 08:00-14:00/16:30. The largest single catch, typically of Bluefin Tuna, is often more than 100kg (2018 was 158.0kg and 2022 was 154.4kg).
Only (non-wire) line fishing is permitted, and fish species include Bluefin Tuna, Albacore Tuna, Skipjack Tuna, Swordfish, Mediterranean Spearfish, Dorado, Greater Amberjack, Leerfish, Dentex, and Pargus. The registration fee in 2023 was €800+VAT, including four anglers and boat mooring for the four days of the competition.
Big Fish Tūrkiye – (September – Çeşme Marina)
Big Fish Tūrkiye Website (Turkish only) – 26-29 September 2024
Big Fish Türkiye was launched in 2007 by Ertuğrul and Gaye İçingir and has been staged from Çeşme Marina since 2021. This four-day (two days of competition) annual off-shore fishing competition gathers passionate anglers from across the country and internationally to compete in big-game fishing, mainly targeting large fish species such as tuna, swordfish, and blue marlin. The event includes a “skippers meeting” on Friday evening (17:30), a party on Saturday evening (19:00-22:00) and the awards ceremony and dinner on Sunday evening (from 19:30). In 2019, the event hosted 55 boats and more than 300 participants. Big Fish Türkiye has highlighted sustainable fishing practices in recent years, aligning with global efforts to conserve marine ecosystems. This is reflected in promoting responsible fishing techniques and respect for local wildlife, including the principle of “Catch-Leave-Live”. The tournament has become a key event on the calendar for big-game fishing enthusiasts, offering participants a chance to test their skills in the rich waters of the Aegean Sea while enjoying the scenic beauty of Çeşme.
Oldenfest MarinAlaçatı – (October – Alaçatı Marina)
4-6 October 2024
The three-day Oldenfest Alaçatı event combines classic and super sports cars, military jeeps and nostalgic motorcycles, including vehicles from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The festival’s organiser, classic car enthusiast Berkem Bozdağ, is supported by the Çeşme District Governorship, Çeşme Municipality, Filoğlu Group and Alaçatı Tourism Association. This festival presents 230 legendary vehicles that attendees can see up close, and around the event are various workshops, talks, and concerts.
Ovacık Sakız Koyunu (Chios Sheep) Festival (October – Ovacık Village)
Notifications on Çeşme Municipality Facebook Site – 5-6 October 2024
A two-day agricultural and food festival held in Ovacık village square, 5km south of Çeşme. The 2024 festival started both days at 11 am with cookery workshops, including on rice with artichoke, turmeric sourdough bread, cheese paste, mastic cookies, Ovacık manti (small filled pasta dumpling) and Ovacık melon lemonade. Competition entries are accepted, and the “Best Çeşme Melon” competition is judged and prizes awarded on day one. The first day was completed with a concert by Çiğdem Taştan at 8 pm. The second day is dedicated to Chios (Sakız) Sheep breeding workshops, competition evaluation, and at 5 pm, the award ceremonies for “Best Chios Sheep”. Chios sheep are classified as a semi-fat-tailed breed, bred mainly for milk production, commonly believed to have originated on the Greek island of Chios. Ewes grow to 70kg and rams to 90kg; over 210 days of lactation, ewes can produce up to 270kg of milk.
Alaçatı Windfest (September-November – Alaçatı Bay)
Alaçatı Windfest English Website – 9-13 October 2024
Alaçatı Windfest 2024 takes place between 9-13 October at Çağla Kubat Windsurf Academy. The event is governed by the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) Rulebook. It is sanctioned by the PWA as a Youth Junior World Cup status event as part of the 2024 PWA World Tour and has the disciplines of Fin Slalom and Foil Slalom in age ranges Junior U13, Junior U15, Junior (under 17) and Youth (under 21). Approximately 120 young athletes from 15 countries will meet in the unique windy bay of Alaçatı.
This festival includes education, sports and social responsibility projects and aims to promote the natural beauty and sports culture of Çeşme to the world.
Germiyan Festival – (October – Germiyan village)
Notifications on Çeşme Municipality Facebook Site – 26-27 October 2024
The festival, held for the 10th time in October 2024 in Germiyan Village, includes exhibitions, interviews, workshops, and concerts. Local producers exhibit their products, and local traditional dishes unique to Germiyan are on display at the stands. Seminars on delicacies such as “groom cookies” and Kopanisti cheese, interviews, demonstrations of local culture, and the traditional bread competition also add colour to the festival. The past clothes worn by the region’s residents and the original tools used in their kitchens are on display.
In 2024, the stands opened at 10 am on both days with workshops throughout the day that included making katmer (folded sweet pastry dessert), milk bulgur, somata (sweet almond milk), limoncello, cheese production & history, traditional Germiyan bread, karakılçık (black fishbone) bread, stuffed bread, international breads, and sourdough breadmaking, green & black olive production, cold soap production and stonewall painting. On day one, the festival culminated at 8 pm with a Turkish folk music concert and on the second day with the bread competition awards at 5 pm.
Velotürk Gran Fondo Çeşme – (November – Çeşme)
8th Veloturk Gran Fondo Çeşme Website – 2-3 November 2024
Started in 2016, the Gran Fondo Çeşme is a long-distance road bike race for amateur cyclists. From the Italian expression “Gare di fondo”, meaning “distance race”, they are held according to the participant’s age (19-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59,60-64) and level (Elite/Master) in the same course but at different distances and difficulty levels. The races are held under the UCI and the Turkish Cycling Federation regulations.
The event starts on the first day with registration, an expo, a fun ride, and a technical briefing. The two races start on the second morning at 08:00 and 08:30, respectively, and the day ends with the award ceremony at 13:30.
2024 Results:
| Race | Winner | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Salcano 91k (M) | Gökhan Uzuntaş | 2:28:56.55 |
| Salcano 91k (W) | Şeniz Pamuk | 2:45:52.89 |
| Toyota Hybrid 67k (M) | Murat Bayik | 1:55:49.06 |
| Toyota Hybrid 67k (W) | Aylin Yūce | 2:08:59.64 |
| Çeşme 41k (M) | Melih Kūçūk | 1:15:15.27 |
| Çeşme 41k (W) | Buket Demirciİ | 1:24:01.91 |
| Paralimpik B 67k | Rasim Volkan | 2:23:11.10 |
| Paralimpik C 41k | Ayhan Özgür / Taşkin Özgür | 1:31:14.27 |
The 91k race started on 3 November 2024 at 08:00. The beginning and ending points of the race are in front of the Çeşme Courthouse. The long race takes in Alaçatı, Gülbahçe, back across the Karaburan peninsular Ildır and Şifne and back to the centre of town. The total ascent on the route is 1,098 metres, and the time limit is six hours. Entrants include men and women mainly from Turkey, but in recent years, entrants also from Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Moldova, Qatar, Russia, and the USA. Entry into the race in 2024 was TL 1,200, and registration was open until a week before the race.
Tasting Alaçatı – (month not fixed – Alaçatı & surrounding countryside)
Tasting Alaçatı4 Website – 27-29 May 2022
The Tasting Alaçatı Festival is a series of three-day cultural and culinary activities in various locations around the town and in the local countryside. These include tasting menus from Alaçatı’s finest restaurants, farm/beach picnics, presentations and seminars on unique local products such as artichoke and mastic provided by head chefs and suppliers, culinary, wine/whisky, craft, environmental preservation and agricultural workshops, art & photography exhibitions and musical performances. Some events are complimentary, while others, such as the tasting menus, are priced individually. The festival seeks to highlight the quality of the region’s natural products and the food and beverage culture while promoting sustainability.
Up until 2022, the Tasting Alaçatı Festival has been held annually on four occasions at various times of the year: 27-29 May 2022, 10-12 September 2021, 5-7 June 2020 (cancelled due to Covid?), and 26-28 April 2019, and 11-13 May 2018. There was no Tasting Alaçatı 2023, and thus far, there appear to be no formal plans to stage the event in 2024.