Istanbul's cultural life, both traditional and contemporary, is easily equal to that of London and New York, if not as well publicized. Matching the city's exploding youth population, there are a growing number of festivals, galleries, new music venues and film centers and, within the last decade, Turkish artists have begun to make an international impact. There are now a number of independent record companies in the city releasing experimental works that combine Turkish traditional artists with contemporary groups and new venues where this new music is showcased. In particular, however, the Istanbul Kultur ve Sanat Merkezi (IKSV, or Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Art; (0212) 293 31 33; puts on a series of international festivals equal to that of any European city, except that prices are usually lower (see the Cultural events section below).

Due to the present economic crisis, however, some events have felt the pinch - in 2001 the less profit-making theatre festival had to be cancelled and those of most appeal to the young - the film and jazz festivals - had so outgrown their venues that tickets were hard to come by. Visitors should thus book early particularly for any events at existing concert venues, such as the Acik Hava Tiyatrosu (Open Air Theatre), Takisla Cadessi, Congress Valley in Harbiye, and the Ataturk Kultur Merkezi (Ataturk Cultural Centre;  (0212) 251 5600), Taksim Square, Taksim. Istanbul also has a number of excellent art galleries and corporate cultural centres, mostly on Istiklal Caddesi and in Macka/Nisantasi. Among the most adventurous is the Borusan Culture and Art Centre, 421 Istiklal Caddesi  (0212) 292 06 55; which is open all year round and alternates Turkish and international exhibitions of a conceptual nature.

Tickets for most cultural events can be purchased at Biletex outlets  at Vakkorama (among others), as well as MMMigros supermarkets and Raksotek record stores.