The second edition of Türkiye’s largest aviation, space and technology festival, Teknofest, coinciding with Victory Day celebrations in Türkiye opened its doors for visitors in the capital Ankara Wednesday.
The five-day fair that kicked off at Etimesgut Airport in Ankara is set to feature competitions, air shows, exhibitions and workshops, stage plays and special flight experiences for children – promising visitors an adventure full of science, technology and space.
Since its inception in 2018, the event has attracted millions of visitors, and this year’s Ankara edition promises to be just as exciting.
Visitors will be able to experience vertical wind tunnels, and simulation areas, and attend planetarium shows.
The event has been organized by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry in cooperation with dozens of ministries, public institutions, private firms and universities.
Previously, the event was held in various Turkish cities in even years and in the metropolis of Istanbul in odd years.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye, the event was planned in three different provinces this year.
The 2023’s first edition of the event was held at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport between April 27 and May 1, welcoming 2.5 million visitors, which is a world record.
The third edition for this year will be organized in the Aegean city of Izmir on Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
Ankara edition is also the seventh edition of the event in Türkiye, and the eighth edition when its international version, Azerbaijan, was included.
Last year, Teknofest for the first time opened abroad with the event held in Azerbaijan’s Baku Crystal Hall.
Türkiye’s domestic air defense products, including Hürkuş, Gökbey, Aksungur, Bayraktar TB2 and TB3, Akıncı, Atak and Anka, will grace the event with aerial displays. The festival’s energy will be further elevated by parachute teams affiliated with the Turkish army and police, showcasing daring jumps.
Notably, this year marks the inaugural inclusion of entrepreneurship competitions within the festival.
Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır, chair of the board of T3 Foundation, speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) noted they expect to break records in the number of visitors.
“I can say that our online visitor registration is 5-6 times that of Istanbul. Today, we opened our Teknofest area to our visitors as of 9:00 a.m. in the morning, and I can say that it is a very pleasant environment. Hopefully, this will continue in this manner,” he said.
Speaking to public broadcaster TRT Haber, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said: “We wanted to present three great Teknofest (editions) to Türkiye in the 100th anniversary of our republic. We want to give the message of a fully independent Türkiye to the world.”
Recalling the first year of Teknofest when 14 technology competitions were organized with the participation of some 20,000 youngsters in 2018 the minister noted “it was a great success for that year”.
“This year, over 330,000 teams and over 1 million young people participated in 44 technology competitions held at Teknofest,” he said.
The minister further stated that the country’s first astronaut being unveiled during Istanbul’s edition of Teknofest by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in the upcoming months and conduct a Turkish space mission.
“We are taking steps to realize our original national technologies. We will reach new achievements with the vision of the “Century of Türkiye,” he maintained, adding that they expect everyone at Etimesgut Airport.
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