TEKNOFEST Breaks Records in Türkiye: Festival in Şanlıurfa Attracts 1.5 Million Attendees

The large-scale TEKNOFEST Güneydoğu festival, spanning the fields of aviation, space, and technology, concluded with a grand ceremony in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the T3 Foundation and Chairman of the TEKNOFEST Board of Directors, this year’s events set an all-time record with more than 1.5 million participants, with over 1.3 million visitors in Şanlıurfa alone.

“Once again, we witnessed a profound belief in Türkiye’s bright future. From here, we carry away not just trophies and awards, but genuine friendships, fresh ideas, and the first steps toward tomorrow’s great achievements,” said Selçuk Bayraktar at the closing ceremony.

During the festival, young innovators presented their developments in artificial intelligence, modern agriculture, robotics, and autonomous systems.

The head of TEKNOFEST emphasized that this contest represents far more than a technical competition:

“We did not merely compete here; we saw in the eyes of our youth an unshakeable confidence in Türkiye’s own capabilities. Despite those who said ‘you cannot do this,’ we did it, we are doing it, and we will accomplish even more,” he stated.

According to Bayraktar, the overarching mission of the event is not only to support youth tech initiatives but also to instill self-belief in young minds.

The World’s Largest Technology Festival

Regarded globally as the largest aviation and technology festival, TEKNOFEST was organized for the 15th time this year.

Held at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport, the event was co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology of Türkiye, the T3 Foundation, and Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş. The festival program featured airshows, exhibitions, and the final rounds of technology competitions across 14 categories.