OPINION
Turkey’ s new position on the live entertainment map
Turkey’ s live entertainment sector is experiencing remarkable growth, with ticket revenues increasing by 30 per cent last year. Zümrüt Arol, CEO of promoter BKM, outlines why Turkey has moved well beyond being an emerging market.
Zümrüt Arol
The global live entertainment industry is no longer defined solely by concert promotion. It is capable of reshaping city economies and tourism flows.
The world’ s most influential cities are no longer distinguished only by finance but by their ability to create cultural experiences. Live entertainment has become one of the strongest tools of city branding.
For years, cities such as London, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona dominated this landscape. But a new generation of cultural hubs are now emerging and Turkey is one of these.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that Turkey is still an‘ emerging market’. In reality, Istanbul already possesses many of the fundamentals required to become one of Europe’ s leading live entertainment capitals: a young and highly connected population, strong tourism infrastructure, geographical position and a rapidly evolving premium experience economy. Turkey’ s live entertainment sector has experienced remarkable growth, with ticket revenues increasing by 30 % in 2025. And Turkish artists are playing huge shows in Europe- pop act Manifest will perform at Wembley in October.
With an adult population of approximately 16 million, Istanbul hosts nearly 60 % of all entertainment events in Turkey. Secondary markets such as Ankara, İzmir, Antalya and Bursa account for an additional 25 – 30 % of major concerts and festivals. Tourism destinations including Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye are becoming increasingly valuable entertainment markets during the summer season, particularly for high-spending audiences and destination-driven experiences.
International visitor participation is also becoming one of the sector’ s growth drivers. In Istanbul concerts and summer festivals, the share of international attendees can reach 15 – 20 %. Visitors from Germany, UK, France, the Gulf region and Azerbaijan contribute directly to the event economy. This creates a multi-layered economic ecosystem that extends far beyond ticket sales, driving growth across hospitality, aviation, restaurants, transportation and premium experience packages.
For example, Coldplay’ s 2024 tour began in Greece, even though there was effectively no obstacle preventing it from starting in Istanbul. Turkey has the audience scale and demand to sustain at least four or five consecutive stadium shows. Unfortunately, there is still no confirmed Coldplay concert date for Turkey.
This shift in the touring ecosystem is also affecting the global festival landscape. Today’ s largest artists increasingly operate through highly controlled independent touring structures, making it more difficult for major city festivals such as Primavera Sound or Lollapalooza to secure headliners and expand into new territories. This dynamic represents one of the key challenges facing Turkey’ s festival growth.
However, Istanbul already demonstrates an operational capability that surpasses many European cities when it comes to managing large-scale live events. The city recently proved this during the UEFA Europa League Final, successfully handling the movement of thousands of fans. Delivering an operation of that scale shows clearly Turkey’ s event management and organisational expertise.
At the same time, Istanbul’ s venue landscape is increasingly aligned with global touring standards. Major venues including RAMS Park, Tüpraş Stadium, Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Ülker Arena and Volkswagen Arena offer strong capacity, production infrastructure, and accessibility. The city occupies a unique position as a natural entertainment gateway between Europe and the Middle East.
Globally, promoters such as Live Nation and AEG are no longer evaluating cities purely as concert markets. They are investing in destinations capable of delivering large-scale cultural experiences. In Turrkey, organisations including BKM, İKSV, Piu Entertainment, Pozitif and Zorlu PSM are among the key players shaping this transformation.
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