
FEST CONFERENCE 2020 - Bursa CANCELLED
TO THE ROOTS - Storytelling Tradition in Anatolia and Beyond
23 - 26 June 2020
Bursa, Turkey
The 2020 FEST Conference is a place for storytellers and organisations to meet, exchange and share knowledge and experiences on different themes that touch the oral storytelling community.
In Bursa we will lead you through a series of workshops and lectures about the traditional and contemporary oral storytelling scene in Turkey.
You’ll have the opportunity to learn all about the FEST projects and objectives and prepare the future.
Deadline registration with accommodation
May 4th 2020
Deadline registration without accommodation
June 6th 2020
Organised in co-operation with:

SEIBA Storytelling Center

Nilüfer Municipality Bursa

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme
Deadline registration with accommodation
May 4th 2020
Deadline registration without accommodation
June 6th 2020
€330 | Member - Single Room - Food - 4 days |
€260 | Member - Double Room - Food - 4 days |
€400 | Non-Member - Single Room - Food - 4 days |
€330 | Non-Member - Double Room - Food - 4 days |
€120 | Conference Pass - No accommodation - Food - 4 days |
€40 | Day Pass - No accommodation - Food |
Member organisations can send 2 participants at member rate, from the 3th delegate you pay non-member rate.
FEST offers a reduction on the conference registration fee and travel costs for Young Storytellers and residents of following countries:
Cat A: €100 refund | Young Storytellers (-35 year), Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal,Slovenia, Turkey |
Cat B: €200 refund | Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Macedonia |
The discount is only valid when registered for full conference with accommodation, discounts are not cumulative.
17:00-19:00 Registration
19:00-20:30 Welcome Cocktail - Open Buffet
20:30-21:30 Greeting and meeting in a playful way
Place: HolidayInn Pool Side
General Assembly (Conference participants only)
09:00-10:30 FEST General Assembly
10:30-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-12:00 FEST General Assembly
12:00-13:30 Lunch / A restaurant near the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center
14:00-15:45 FEST General Assembly
15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30 FEST General Assembly
Place: Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center - Exhibition Hall
18:30-19:45 Dinner / HolidayInn Restaurant
Evening Event (Open to Public)
20:00-22:00 Storytelling and Folklore Performance
Folkdance Assembly – Nilüfer Municipality
Polyphonic Choir - Nilüfer Municipality
Shadow Theatre - Karagöz and Hacivat
Gülay Diri – Delbek player
Dengbej and Aşıks (Poet-singers)
Place: Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center - Big Hall
Presentations (open to public)
09:00-10:30 Roots of Anatolian Oral Tradition - Sema Demir
10:30-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-11:30 Ways of Storytelling in Anatolia 1
Story Mothers - Evrim Ölçer
Folk Poets - Abidin Parıltı
11:30-11:45 Coffee Break
11:45-12:30 Ways of Storytelling in Anatolia 2
Meddah, Aşık, Karagöz - Agnieszka Ayşen Kaim
12:30-14:00 Lunch / A restaurant near the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center
Place: Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center - Big Hall
Workshops (Conference participants only)
14:30-16:00 Workshops
16:00-16:15 Coffee break
16:15-17:45 Workshops
18:00-18:30 Transfer to Bursa Old Town
18:30-20:00 Free time in Bursa Old Town
20:00-22:00 Group dinner at Bursa Old Town
Place: Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center Halls and 100. Yıl Cultural House
WORKSHOPS (conference participants only)
09:00-10:30 Workshops
10:30-10:45 Coffee break
10:45-12:15 Workshops
Place: Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center Halls and 100. Yıl Cultural House
12:30-14:00 Lunch / A restaurant near the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center
14:15-15-00 Transfer to Gölyazı
15:00-15:45 The historical and oral stories of Gölyazı - Eirini Kalogeropoulou Yalçın
Stories told by Aslı Hazar & Maral Perk
15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30 Inspiring Projects from FEST members
Passing the torch
Place: Gölyazı Church
CLOSING EVENT (Conference Participants only)
19:00-00:00 Dinner and Concert of Roman Orchestra – Nilüfer Municipality
Place: Siesta Park
10:00-16:00 Departures
Guided tour to Misi Village and Bursa Old Town (optional)


For the post event of the FEST conference 2020 we will travel from Bursa to Istanbul. The event will be a one day storytelling festival at the Bosphorus sea which is known as the pearl of Istanbul.
Our festival will take place at the historic Beykoz Shoe Factory (Beykoz Kundura). Founded in 1810, this factory was one of the earliest of its kind in Istanbul and continued production for almost two centuries. Nowadays, the site is used as a film set. Parts of it have also been converted into a center for the modern arts with a cinema, a live performance hall and spaces for various workshops including yoga.
We will be organising events for children, families and adults at our festival. Some of our storytelling events will take place on stage; others will be designed specifically for various locations at the venue. We will invite local and international storytellers to feature in our festival.
More Information soon!
Welcome to Istanbul!
So, you would like to go to Bursa for the FEST Conference, but you don’t know how to get there from here. Let us help you.
There are three ways to reach Bursa from Istanbul. Follow the path that suits you the best.
When you reach the hotel, you will be in good hands! We will be there to greet you upon your arrival.
If you have landed in Istanbul international Airport, you can get to Bursa in just two steps.
First: Take the ISTANBUL KONFOR bus to the Bursa Terminal (Otogar). The tickets cost 60tl, and the journey takes about 3 hours.
These buses leave from Gate 6 at the Departures Floor at 06:05, 10:00, 13:30, 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00.*
*The timetable could vary in the summer season. If there are any changes, we will inform you closer to the date.
Second: How to get to the hotel from the Bursa Terminal - there are three options.
-
- You can take public transport (bus 93) to the hotel.
- You can take a taxi for 150 tl.
- You can take the free shuttle at three different times during the day. Shuttle leaves at 14:00, 16:30 and 18:30
If you have landed in Sabiha Gökçen Airport, you can get to Bursa in two steps as well.
First: Take the BURULAS It costs 50tl and leaves every 30 minutes. The journey takes about an hour and a half.
OR
Take the ISTANBUL KONFOR bus to the Bursa Terminal. This one costs 40tl and the journey takes about an hour and a half. The timetable can vary for the summer season, so we will inform you closer to the date.
Second: How to get to the hotel from the Bursa Terminal- there are three options here, as well.
-
- You can take public transport (bus 93) to the hotel.
- You can take a taxi for 150 tl.
- You can take the free shuttle at three different times during the day. Shuttle leaves at 14:00, 16:30 and 18:30
You came a few days early to spend some time in Istanbul and now would like to get to Bursa, here is the easiest way:
If you are on the European side, the most practical option is taking the BUDO Sea Bus from Yenikapı Ferry Terminal to Bursa.
BE CAREFUL! If you take the IDO Sea Bus by mistake, it will complicate your trip. Make sure to buy your ticket from BUDO.
(You can get to the Yenikapı Ferry Terminal by taking the M4 metro line from Taksim. However, the walk from the metro station to the ferry terminal is a bit tricky so we recommend taking a taxi instead.)
This trip takes an hour and a half. After you get off the ferry, there are two ways to get to the hotel:
-
- You can take 2U bus directly to the hotel. These buses don’t run often and the timetable is not up to date. So, if you miss this bus;
- Take the minibuses that go to Bursa and get off in front of the Korupark Shopping Mall. You can take a taxi to the hotel from there.