The latest edition of Türkiye’s largest aviation, space and technology festival, coinciding with Victory Day celebrations, opened its doors for visitors in the capital Ankara Wednesday.
The five-day Teknofest 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 examine the latest platforms developed by Turkish defense and technology companies and experience vertical wind tunnels, simulation areas and attend planetarium shows.
The event is organized by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and the Industry and Technology Ministry in cooperation with dozens of ministries, public institutions, private firms and universities.
The event is 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 was held at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport between April 27 and May 1 and welcomed 2.5 million visitors, a world record.
The third edition will be organized in the Aegean city of Izmir on Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
The Ankara event marks the seventh edition of the festival in Türkiye, and the eighth edition in overall when the fair in Azerbaijan, which was held last year, is included.
The event in Baku Crystal Hall marked Teknofest’s first fair abroad.
Türkiye’s domestic air defense platforms, 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, 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., and I can say that it is a very pleasant environment. Hopefully, this will continue in this manner,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Speaking to public broadcaster TRT Haber, Industry and Technology Minister 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.”
Kacır recalled what he said was “a great success” in 2018 when Teknofest featured 14 technology competitions with the participation of some 20,000 youngsters.
“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, who was unveiled during Istanbul’s edition by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is expected to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in the upcoming months.
“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.
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