Colors of Manavgat - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Manavgat is located at a distance from the coast, so you can not call it a typical tourist city. There are almost no foreign visitors even at the height of the summer season, the city retains the usual rhythm of life and atmosphere. It will be an interesting place to visit for those who have long dreamed to plunge into the atmosphere of a provincial Turkish town and stay away from the bustling tourist areas. Many interesting discoveries can be made during a usual walk, one of the main features of Manavgat is a huge number of flowers. Lush flower beds here can be seen literally everywhere, they grow even along busy roads.

Motorbikes and scooters are the most common means of transport among the locals, despite the high quality of the roads, there is still a problem of traffic jams in the city. Two-wheeled transport allows locals to move around the city much faster than by car, scooters are also rented by many active tourists. The most crowded interesting place in the city is the embankment, located on both banks of the Manavgat River. There are numerous cafes and restaurants aimed at tourists, souvenir shops and entertainment venues.

Gourmets who want to taste typical dishes of the local cuisine should choose restaurants and cafes located at a distance from the waterfront. In other areas, tourists stay quite rarely, so the main part of the restaurants is focused on local residents. In addition to the promenade in Manavgat, there are many other interesting places where you can walk, near the Central square you can find the so-called "street of artists". Every day local artists present their works here, all the paintings presented on the promenade are available for sale. Many people come here just to admire colourful paintings, and you can even ask local artists to draw a portrait. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

One of the main features of the city, which is noted by tourists visiting it, is the love of nature in all its manifestations. The city has many picturesque parks and squares, original landscape decorations can be seen even on busy streets. Local residents take care of homeless pets, a special service attaches them number tags. All street animals are regularly inspected by a veterinarian, their health is monitored by specialists all year round.

There is a very peaceful atmosphere almost the whole year in Manavgat, which makes you feel relaxed. Only one noisy holiday can break it. In recent years, the picturesque Turkish city has become a venue for interesting modern festivals. In April, it hosts an international DJ festival called Joyfest. This noisy festival attracts musicians and performers from all over the world, it is visited by spectators of all ages.

The first time the DJ festival was held in 2009 since then it attracts an increasing number of participants and spectators every year. The venue of the music festival is large hotels, every year the festival takes place at a new hotel. It is equipped with a large stage, most of the performances taking place within the festival are available for free attendance.

A few years ago, Manavgat began to hold an annual festival of culture and tourism, which is also visited by many foreign guests. The program of this holiday is very rich and diverse, its main purpose is to acquaint guests from other countries with the peculiarities of the culture of local residents. The festival is always attended by local folklore groups, performers of modern Turkish music and dance groups, as well as students of art schools. In recent years, the sports program of the festival has significantly expanded, now annual competitions are held within the festival.

Some of the traditional festivals held in Manavgat may seem quite unusual to foreign visitors. The picturesque town has become a frequent venue for the International festival of bikers, the city is changed every few years for this holiday. The main event of the festival is a parade of bikers, which is usually attended by at least 500 motorcyclists. They pass through the main city streets after the solemn part follows a series of demonstrations, music concerts and other entertainment programs. The venue of this unusual festival Manavgat was chosen not by chance, the city has its own motorcycle club Manavgat Motosiklet Kulübü, which is one of the largest in Turkey.