3 Best Performing Arts in Beyoğlu, Istanbul

Sponsored by one of Turkey's largest private banks, the six-story, multipurpose Akbank Sanat (Akbank Art Center) hosts regular classical music and jazz concerts, including the Akbank Jazz Festival, held over several weeks in the fall. More than 700 other events are held at the center each year, including modern dance performances, theater productions, film screenings, and art exhibitions.

Located in the basement of a parking lot near Galatasaray Square, Garajistanbul is an experimental venue that hosts an eclectic array of concerts, as well as contemporary dance and theater, and literary and artistic events.

The Mevlâna Education and Culture Society (MEKDER) is one of the local dervish groups and cultural associations that holds sema ceremonies at 5 pm each Sunday at the Galata Mevlevihanesi. The ceremonies last about an hour and include traditional Mevlevi music and ritual whirling.