Turkey’s longest running music festival Efes Pilsen Blues Festival began its 20th tour of the country in 2009. Efes Pilsen Blues Festival takes place during October and November, and gives blues fans a chance to experience unforgettable performances in 20 different cities, with over 20 concerts. The festival hosted Shemeika Copeland, Terry Evans and Ray Schinnery during its 20th year.
As Turkey’s first and only blues festival, Efes Pilsen Blues Festival has been bringing blues music to its fans for 20 years. It has entertained hundreds of thousands of people since 1990. The 2009 festival took place in Konya, Kayseri, Girne/Kıbrıs, Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep, Diyarbakır, Malatya, İstanbul, Çanakkale, Balıkesir, Bursa, Kocaeli, Edirne, Trabzon, Ankara, Eskişehir, Denizli, and ended with the final concerts in 20-21 November in Izmir. So you have a good chance of experiencing good blues music in Istanbul or another city during these months.
Efes Pilsen Blues Festival 20, which was organized by Pozitif, hosted legendary figures of blues music. Among its guests are the vibrant and talented blues musician Shemekia Copeland, the number one of fold and delta-blues Terry Evans, and the versatile artist of the blues world and “Master Showman” to his fans, Ray Schinnery.
It all started with the 2 day long concert performed by Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and The Gate’s Express, Holmes Brothers, Jan Harrington and Kenn Lending Blues Band in 1990. Since then, the festival has staged a total of 77 bands and 227 musicians. 286 concerts took place in 19 years. 335.894 people attended these concerts. Those who went to the first Efes Pilsen Blues Festival when they were 18 are now 37 years old. In its 20th year, Efes Pilsen Blues Festival travelled 8.145 kilometers, and reached many places in Turkey. When you come to Turkey in October and November, it’s only a matter of time until you stumble upon Blues anywhere in the country!
www.efesblues.com
