[Concert Recap] Istanbul Festivali
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For its fifth edition, Istanbul Festivali opened its doors to a new chapter in its history, bringing K-pop to one of Istanbul’s biggest festival stages for the first time. Taking place at Festival Park Yenikapı, the festival hosted two dedicated K-pop days on August 14 and 15, featuring Kwon Eunbi and ATEEZ on the first day, followed by Sunmi and MONSTA X on the second.
The K-pop program was held in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center, as part of a special celebration marking Korea’s Liberation Day and the friendship between Korea and Türkiye. August 15 is Korea’s National Liberation Day, and the festival’s K-pop program was presented as part of a broader Korean cultural celebration.
Rather than functioning simply as four individual concerts, the two K-pop days were integrated into a much larger festival experience. Visitors could explore food and beverage areas, brand activations, competitions, esports, 3x3 basketball, dance performances, DJ sets, and the "Young Stage" throughout the day before heading toward the main performances. The scale of the festival, combined with its extensive production, created a setting considerably larger than a traditional standalone concert.
KWON EUNBI
The first K-pop day opened with Kwon Eunbi, who took the stage with Door. She immediately established a confident and polished atmosphere, combining choreography with her distinctive solo performance style.
Her set continued with Hi, Hello Stranger, Unnatural, and Underwater, taking the audience through several different sides of her discography. The performance moved naturally between brighter and more emotional moments, while Eunbi maintained a strong connection with the crowd throughout the set.
One of the most memorable aspects of the performance was the reaction from the audience. Eunbi appeared genuinely surprised by how strongly Turkish fans knew her songs, with the crowd singing along throughout much of the set. Hearing thousands of people sing back to her clearly became one of the highlights of her performance and created a particularly warm atmosphere between the artist and the audience.
She later performed Levitating, her cover of Dua Lipa's global hit. The familiar song immediately brought another wave of excitement from the audience, who once again joined in and sang along. The cover also provided a fun change of pace before Eunbi brought her set to a close.
Despite being the opening artist of the first K-pop day, Eunbi quickly established a strong connection with the festival crowd. Her performance showed that the audience had come prepared not only to see major K-pop names, but also to actively participate in the performances.
ATEEZ
Before taking the stage, ATEEZ participated in a press conference, where the members spoke about finally visiting Türkiye. They explained that they had wanted to come to the country for a long time and were aware that many fans had been waiting for them. After years of anticipation from the Turkish ATINY community, their arrival in Istanbul carried an obvious sense of occasion.
When ATEEZ finally appeared on stage, they opened with an intro before launching into Adrenaline. The reaction was immediate, with the audience erupting as the group began their performance.
They continued with Say My Name, followed by their first ment, where they had the opportunity to address the Turkish crowd directly. The set then moved into their newest song with the iconic choreography, BAD and WORK, with the members delivering the intense choreography and performance style they are known for.
BOUNCY became another major crowd moment. The song's instantly recognisable choreography and high-energy performance style made it particularly effective in the festival setting, with the audience responding loudly from beginning to end.
After another ment, the group continued with WAVE and Enough, giving the set a brief shift in mood before building the intensity again with NASA and Ice on My Teeth.
The performance eventually reached its explosive encore with Guerrilla. By this point, the audience was fully immersed in the show, singing along and responding to every major moment. ATEEZ's performance had the scale and intensity of a headline concert, despite being part of a much larger festival program.
The members also repeatedly expressed how happy they were to finally meet their Turkish fans. Much like their comments during the press conference, they made it clear that they knew how long people had been waiting for them. Before leaving the stage, they expressed their desire to return to Türkiye and perform for their fans again.
For a group making one of its most anticipated appearances in the country, the response from the audience made the evening feel like a long-awaited reunion. ATEEZ drew more than 65,000 fans to Festival Park Yenikapı, setting the festival’s attendance record for 2026 and marking their biggest festival crowd in Europe, as well as their second-largest festival audience worldwide. ATEEZ did not simply perform for Istanbul — they seemed genuinely moved by the reception they received.
SUNMI
The second K-pop day opened with Sunmi, bringing a completely different atmosphere to the festival.
She began her set with 24 Hours, immediately drawing the audience into her distinctive performance style. The set continued with Siren, CYNICAL, and LALALAY, showcasing several different sides of her discography and artistic identity.
Sunmi's performance was also marked by an unexpected reaction to the crowd. Like Eunbi the previous day, she appeared genuinely surprised by how well the audience knew her songs. Turkish fans repeatedly sang along throughout the set, often loudly enough to become part of the performance itself. That response seemed to create an especially strong connection between Sunmi and the audience.
She continued with Forever July and pporappippam, before moving into TAIL. The set gradually built toward its finale while maintaining the distinctive atmosphere that has become part of Sunmi's identity as a solo performer.
Finally, she closed with Gashina, perhaps the most fitting choice possible for the end of her set. The iconic song generated one of the strongest sing-along moments of the performance, with the crowd enthusiastically joining in and giving Sunmi a memorable send-off.
Sunmi's appearance highlighted another side of the festival's K-pop program. After the powerful group performance of ATEEZ the previous evening, her set was more focused on individual charisma, choreography, and an unmistakable solo identity — while the reaction from the audience proved that Turkish fans had no shortage of familiarity with her music.
MONSTA X
Before their performance, MONSTA X also participated in a press conference, where the members spoke about their long-awaited visit to Türkiye. They shared similar feelings with other artists, explaining that they had wanted to come for a long time and knew that the MONBEBEs in the country had been waiting for them. Meeting those fans in person was clearly meaningful to the group.
MONSTA X opened their set with DRAMARAMA, immediately raising the energy of the second evening. They followed with Rush Hour, before pausing for their first ment and speaking directly to the audience.
The set then moved into The Dreaming and Growing Pains, offering a more melodic section before the group returned to their powerful performance style with Love Killa and Do What I Want.
After another ment, Burning Up once again brought the intensity back up, with the members delivering a high-energy performance. They eventually closed the night with ZONE, ending the second K-pop day on a powerful note.
Just like ATEEZ, MONSTA X made a point of expressing their appreciation for the Turkish audience and their desire to return to the country. Their comments throughout the night reflected the same feeling expressed during the press conference: this was a visit that had been anticipated for a long time, and finally experiencing the crowd in person made the occasion particularly special.
The audience response reinforced that feeling. Fans sang along, cheered throughout the set, and made it clear that MONSTA X's first major festival appearance in Istanbul had been worth the wait.
A New Chapter for K-Pop in Istanbul
What made the two-day K-pop program particularly significant was its place within the wider identity of Istanbul Festivali. Now in its fifth edition, the festival had already established itself as one of Istanbul's major large-scale festival events, but dedicating two days to K-pop represented a notable expansion of its international programming.
The Korean program also carried a cultural significance beyond the performances themselves. Held with the contribution of the Korean Cultural Center and around Korea's Liberation Day, the event became a celebration of both Korean culture and the friendship between Türkiye and South Korea.
At the same time, the festival environment offered something different from a traditional concert. Fans could spend the entire day exploring food and beverage areas, watching performances, taking part in competitions, visiting entertainment zones, and experiencing the "Young Stage" before the main artists appeared.
The large-scale production also helped create the atmosphere of a major international festival, with an expansive main stage, extensive lighting, large-format visual production, and a setup designed to accommodate thousands of attendees.
Across the two days, the biggest common factor may have been the audience itself. Kwon Eunbi and Sunmi were both visibly surprised by how enthusiastically fans sang along, while ATEEZ and MONSTA X repeatedly spoke about knowing that Turkish fans had been waiting for them and wanting to return.
From Kwon Eunbi's warm interaction with the crowd and ATEEZ's long-awaited arrival to Sunmi's iconic performance and MONSTA X's powerful finale, the first K-pop edition of Istanbul Festivali delivered four very different performances while creating a shared experience for fans.
For many attendees, however, the most memorable part was seeing artists finally experience the Turkish K-pop community firsthand. And with both ATEEZ and MONSTA X expressing their wish to return, these two days may prove to be only the beginning of a much larger K-pop presence in Istanbul.
Review written by: Erturk A.
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