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ISTANBUL FESTIVAL 2025

TURKEY

The design process behind the Istanbul Festival stage was driven by a single guiding question: How can the energy, rhythm, and silhouette of Istanbul be brought onto a stage?
More than a music event, the Istanbul Festival is a 17-day celebration that carries the spirit of the city onto an international platform.

The resulting stage presents itself as a contemporary interpretation of Istanbul’s urban landscape. Its architectural language draws inspiration from the city’s daily life—particularly the illuminated high-rises that define Istanbul’s nighttime skyline. The aim was to offer audiences not just a performance backdrop, but a familiar cityscape reimagined through a modern design lens. Rather than standing as a mere structure, the stage embodies the identity of a city.

Seven Hills, Seven Towers

Referencing Istanbul’s historic title as the “City of Seven Hills,” the stage was built around seven distinct tower forms. Each tower echoes the silhouette of one of the city’s most iconic skyscrapers, bringing Istanbul’s modern architectural vocabulary to the festival environment. Behind them, a tulip-shaped element softens the composition, adding a poetic counterpoint and balancing the otherwise bold urban geometry. The result is a stage design that feels simultaneously metropolitan and lyrical.

Over the years, this stage has hosted performances by 35 local and international artists, from Jennifer Lopez’s “Up All Night” tour to Turkish rock icons Mor ve Ötesi. Each appearance has reshaped the stage’s visual identity, leaving behind its own distinctive imprint on both local memory and global perception.

The technical infrastructure was conceived entirely to reinforce the creative concept. Featuring 1,300 square meters of LED surfaces, nearly 800 lighting fixtures, and 184 line array speakers, the stage offers more than a concert setting—it delivers a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience.

Sound towers rise to 26 meters, ensuring that the farthest audience members enjoy the same clarity and intensity as those in the front row. Every element was designed to work in synchrony, allowing visual and auditory layers to merge seamlessly.

With a dedicated production crew of approximately 187 specialists, the stage became a technical and aesthetic centerpiece at the heart of Istanbul. After a meticulous 22-day build, it powered the festival for 17 consecutive days—transforming itself night after night into a renewed urban spectacle.