Turkish municipalities launch summer festivals and sports schools for children

Municipalities across Turkey are running a series of summer programmes aimed at children and families. Yerköy Municipality organised a week‑long Children and Neighborhood Festival in August featuring workshops, mini‑discos and concerts. Kartepe held free‑access sports schools offering swimming, volleyball, karate and other disciplines, with equipment and transport provided at no cost. Kocaeli’s metropolitan authority hosted a city‑wide summer schedule that drew over two million visitors to parks and cultural venues, including "Come Outside and Play" events, open‑air cinema and night‑time concerts. In Sarıkamış, around 1,000 youngsters received sports uniforms after completing training in basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics and athletics. Kadıköy ran a second‑term summer sports school for children aged 7‑12, covering eight sports across three facilities. Konya’s mayor announced a one‑day game camp that brought together 55,000 children from the city’s youth clubs. Bursa’s health experts warned about safe summer exercise for children, while Gebze’s mayor toured science, art and sport workshops as part of its summer school series.