It’s a new year so we thought we would give you a list of important dates in Turkey 2016 to note in your diaries. See table below for public holidays, the start of Ramazan, Byram, school holidays, Formula One in Istanbul and others:
Important Dates in Turkey 2016
| Date | Event | Description |
| Jan 1st | New Years Day | Public Holiday and start of the New Year. |
| Jan 22nd (Fri) | Winter School Holiday Starts* | Start of the winter school holidays for many state schools in Turkey (**Please double check with school – return Monday February 8th) |
| Feb 14th (Sun) | Valentines Day | Some Turks celebrate this special day focused on romance and relationships. |
| Mar 27th (Sun) | Easter and Daylight Saving Time** | Christian celebration of Easter and clocks go forward 1 hour (**Check re clocks as may be subject to change) |
| April 23rd (Sat) | Turkish National Sovereignty Day / Childrens Day | Commemorating the creation of Turkish Parliment and the importance of children. Public holiday. |
| May 1st (Sun) | Turkish Labour Day | Public holiday to highlight the need for better working conditions in Turkey. |
| May 19th (Thu) | Turkish Youth & Sports Day | Public holiday marking the start of the war of independence in 1919 |
| Jun 6th (Mon) | Start of Ramazan | Start of a month of fasting and religious contemplation for many Muslims across Turkey. |
| Jun 10th (Fri) | Turkish School Summer Holidays Start* | Start of the long school summer holidays for many kids at state schools in Turkey (*Do check with schools – return Monday September 19th) |
| Jun 19th (Sun) | Fathers Day | Cards and gifts are given to Fathers |
| Jul 7th (Thu) | Seker Byram | Seker or Sugar Byram marks the end of Ramazan fasting. A three day public holiday. |
| Aug 28th (Sun) | Istanbul F1 Gran Prix | Formula 1 Gran Prix in Istanbul |
| Aug 30th (Tue) | Victory Day | Public holiday that commemorates Turkeys victory against Greek forces in Dunlupinar in 1922. |
| Sept 14th (Wed) | Kurban Byram | Public holiday and start of the Feast of Sacrifice in Turkey. usually 3 days. |
| Sept 19th (Mon) | Summer School Holidays End** | Kids return to school following the long summer holidays for many state schools inTurkey (* Double check dates) |
| Oct 29th (Sat) | Republic Day | Public holiday commemorating creation of the Turkish Republic |
| Oct 30th (Sun) | Daylight Saving Time** | Clocks go back one hour (**Maybe subject to change) |
| Nov 10th (Thu) | Memorial Day | Celebration of Ataturks life and achievements. Moments silence at 9.05am in remembrance of his death. |
Have we missed anything? If so, please comment below and let us know.
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Note: Since publication we have been informed that the Formula One event in Istanbul is not taking place. Apologies if we got your hopes up.
