MOST expats in Turkey rarely plan too far ahead, so Voices has sourced some of the most important dates that could affect them in the first half of 2016. We will provide an update for the run in to the end of the year in June.

So here’s the schedule:

January

Friday January 22: Generally, the beginning of the winter school holidays. Schools head back for Monday February 8.

February 

Sunday February 14: Valentine’s Day. Local restaurants will be offering special deals on loved up couples. So keep an eye out for deals/special discounts in hotels

March

Sunday March 27: Doubles up for both Easter Sunday for Christians and when the clocks officially go forward one hour. The time change in Turkey has traditionally been bang on this date.

April

Saturday April 23: Turkey commemorates Children’s Day and National Sovereignty Day. Generally, a public holiday.

May

Sunday May 1: May Day is a traditional solidarity day for workers.

Thursday May 19: A public holiday marking Turkish Youth & Sports Day, signifying the start of the war of independence.

June

Monday June 6: An important day in the Muslim calendar with the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting. The end of Ramadan, known as Seker (Sugar) Bayram, is a public holiday and will commence around Tuesday July 5 to Thursday July 7.

Friday June 10: The start of the long, long summer holidays for parents and children alike. The return to school is tentatively earmarked for September 19.