Istanbul Oktoberfest returns to Life Park on Saturday 26 September and Sunday 27 September for a two-day celebration inspired by the centuries-old traditions of Bavaria’s most famous festival. Presented by Wonder Wheel Agency, the weekend combines live music, Bavarian food, games and competitions, parades, fairground attractions, workshops, shopping stands, and communal tables into a contemporary take on Oktoberfest culture. Gripin, Yüksek Sadakat, Nova Norda, Kalabalıklar, Seksendört, Ankara Echoes, Son Feci Bisiklet, and Murat Ceylan Wish make up the music program across the two days. Tickets are available via BuBilet.
Music sits at the center of a wider festival experience designed to run from afternoon into night. Traditional Bavarian flavors and long communal tables are joined by a mini fairground, games, contests, workshops, market areas, and roaming entertainment, giving visitors plenty to explore between performances. Rather than attempting a strict recreation of Munich’s Oktoberfest, the festival takes its communal spirit as a starting point and combines it with a distinctly contemporary local music lineup.
Saturday 26 September: Gripin, Yüksek Sadakat & More
Gripin lead Saturday’s program with a catalog that stretches back more than two decades. Formed in the late 1990s, the band became one of the prominent names of the 2000s Turkish rock boom, breaking into the mainstream with Hikayeler Anlatıldı before albums including Gripin and M.S. 05.03.2010 further established their emotionally direct songwriting and melodic alternative rock sound. Songs such as “Böyle Kahpedir Dünya,” “Durma Yağmur Durma,” and “Aşk Nerden Nereye” remain closely associated with the era, while years of touring have given the group a repertoire particularly suited to large, communal festival crowds.
Yüksek Sadakat bring another major chapter of modern Turkish rock to the first day. Founded by bassist Kutlu Özmakinacı, the group achieved widespread recognition with their self-titled 2006 debut and songs including “Belki Üstümüzden Bir Kuş Geçer” and “Kafile.” Their music has consistently combined rock instrumentation with melodic songwriting and influences that reach beyond conventional alternative rock, helping them maintain a recognizable identity through changing lineups and different periods of the country’s rock scene.
Nova Norda adds a younger alternative-pop perspective to Saturday, with candid Turkish-language songwriting and a sound that moves between indie pop, electronic production, and more introspective material. Kalabalıklar complete the day’s bill, broadening a program that connects established Turkish rock with newer voices from the contemporary alternative scene.
Sunday 27 September: Seksendört, Son Feci Bisiklet & More
Seksendört take a leading role on Sunday with a career rooted in the guitar-driven Turkish rock of the 2000s. Formed in Ankara, the band reached a national audience with their self-titled debut and songs such as “Ölürüm Hasretinle,” developing a style built around prominent guitars, dramatic melodies, and emotionally charged vocals. Their continued presence on the live circuit has made their catalog a familiar point of reference for audiences who came of age during one of Turkish rock’s most commercially visible periods.
Also central to Sunday’s program are Son Feci Bisiklet, another Ankara-born band, but one associated with the independent scene that followed. Since emerging in the early 2010s, they have built a devoted audience through conversational lyrics, distinctive guitar lines, and an indie-rock sound that captures the anxieties, relationships, and everyday experiences of a younger generation. Songs including “Bu Kız,” “Bikinisinde Astronomi,” and “Galiba Sevmiyorlar” helped turn the group into one of the defining names of contemporary Turkish indie rock.
Ankara Echoes bring another perspective to Sunday’s lineup, drawing on the musical character and alternative culture associated with the capital, while Murat Ceylan Wish rounds out the program with a contemporary, performance-focused addition to the weekend. Together, the four acts give the second day a strong Ankara connection while moving between different generations and interpretations of alternative music.
Across two days, Istanbul Oktoberfest pairs its eight-artist music program with the communal traditions that have made Oktoberfest an enduring international phenomenon. From long tables and Bavarian food to games, parades, workshops, fairground attractions, and live performances stretching into the evening, the weekend approaches the tradition less as a historical reproduction and more as a social celebration built around music, food, and gathering together.
For more information, please be sure to follow the official pages for Istanbul Oktoberfest and Wonder Wheel Agency. Tickets are available via BuBilet.
Bahçeköy Yeni, Bahçeköy Cd. No:114, 34473 Sarıyer
