The Alanya Municipality is opening the doors of its traditional International Children's Festival for the eighth time as part of the celebrations of National Sovereignty Day and Children's Protection Day on April 23.
The festival will take place on April 25–26, 2026 (weekend) behind the Old Administration Building — Eski Belediye Binası Arkası (behind the old building of the Alanya Municipality).
This year the festival complex has been significantly expanded! Organized by the Alanya Municipality, it will be equipped with giant balloon parks (dev balon parklar / inflatable attractions), game tents and zones (oyun çadırları), workshops and educational workshops.
You can also look forward to on site:
- bubble shows (baloncuk gösterileri)
- clown performances (palyaço gösterileri)
- workshops on making figures fr om balloons (balon katlama)
- children's games (çocuk oyunları)
- robot shows (robot gösterileri)
- and many other educational and entertaining activities.
All activities will run both days from morning/afternoon (usually from 10:00–12:00). This is a free format — come at any time!
Main events by day:
- April 25, Saturday, 20:00 — Big concert by the beloved artist Sefo (main headliner of the evening). One of the brightest surprises of the festival! Children and young people are eagerly awaiting his popular songs and vibrant stage performance.
- April 26, Sunday, 18:00 — Traditional colorful closing (boya etkinliği) — painting event / colorful paint show-flash mob. The grand finale will turn the streets of Alanya into a rainbow! Open to everyone — from children to the elderly.
Additionally in the program (part of the international children's program): folk dances (halk dansları) — approximately at 16:00 both days.
The entire festival is free and open to all residents and guests of Alanya. The municipality invites everyone to join the many colorful entertainments!
Important! As part of the 8th International Children's Festival On April 24 (Friday) in Hall A of the Alanya Cultural Center, information and educational seminars on the topic “Adolescence and Parenting in the Digital Age” will be held.
The seminars are organized in cooperation with the Alanya Municipality and the Alanya City Council. They start at 9:00 and last all day. The program includes:
- training sessions on combating digital addiction (conducted by experts)
- daytime sessions — for students
- evening sessions — for parents and teachers
- in the foyer — an interactive zone with the participation of schools and educational institutions.
Participation in the seminars is free.
Earlier, as part of the celebrations of National Sovereignty Day and Children's Protection Day on April 23, a bright festive atmosphere reigned in the kindergartens and academies named after Mahmutlar Hanife Çebedji, Rüya İpekten and Saadet Çelik. Dances, poems and the sincere smiles of our little ones, which they had been preparing for several days, filled everyone with the joy of the holiday.
We continue to lovingly preserve this precious legacy passed on to children by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in our kindergartens.
April 23 — one of the brightest and most touching holidays in Turkey
Dear friends!
On this day Turkey simultaneously celebrates National Sovereignty Day and Children's Protection Day (Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı). It is not just a state holiday — it is a day full of warmth, hope and faith in the future.
History of the holiday
On April 23, 1920, at the height of the War of Independence, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey convened for the first time in Ankara. Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this event became a turning point: the Turkish people for the first time took their destiny into their own hands and laid the foundation for the future independent Republic. Already in 1921 this date was declared a national holiday.
And in 1929, the great Atatürk did something truly special — he gave this day to the children. Turkey became the first country in the world to establish an official national Children's Day.
What is the deep meaning?
Atatürk sincerely believed: children are the future of the nation, its greatest wealth and hope. He said that sovereignty should be entrusted to them, because it is the pure hearts of children that can preserve peace, freedom and light in the country. April 23 is a holiday not only about the past, but also about those to whom we pass the baton.
Interesting facts
- It is the only holiday of this scale in the world dedicated by the head of state to children of the whole world.
- On this day children “take power” into their own hands: they hold sessions in parliament, become deputies, ministers and even president for one day.
- Every year children from dozens of countries come to Turkey as “ambassadors of peace” and friendship between nations.
- Bright parades, festivals, concerts and performances are held throughout the country wh ere the main heroes of the day are the children themselves.
- The holiday is also celebrated in Northern Cyprus.
April 23 is not just a holiday. It is a day that reminds us that the most valuable thing we have is our children. And that the future of the country largely depends on how well we can love, protect and believe in them.
Happy holiday to everyone who smiles with children’s smiles today and to those who protect those smiles!