| The Marmaris Youth and Spring Festivity is organized in May when May 19 Youth and Sports Day which is presented as a gift by the Great Leader Atatürk to the Turkish youth is also celebrated.
The aim of the festivity is to enable the young people, the future of Marmaris and our country to experience a week full of sports and entertainment blended with the culture of the region.
This great cultural and entertainment festivity is realized in other two years when the Marmaris International Maritime Festival which is not held. The Marmaris Maritime Festival is held once in three years.
The organization is prepared by the Press and Public Relations Directorate of the Marmaris Municipality. The festivity at which all units of the municipality assume tasks is put into implementation as a multi-party project with the participation of sponsor companies, non-governmental organizations and voluntaries.
Thousands of audiences watch the concerts held at the Marmaris Atatürk Square and Amphitheater free-of-charge.
The firework displays illustrate the nights when noted artists hold performances. The especially lightened square hosts the activities that draw highest interest at the Youth and Spring Festivity. By considering the interest of the people at the concerts, the most admired artists of our country make sea-smelling Marmaris experience wonderful time.
The contests take place among the important parts of the Youth and Spring Festivity. Various contests organized on different themes at every festivity are experienced together with the entertainment.
The photography contests towards the natural and cultural values of Marmaris and its environs, the sandcastle and sculpture competitions as well as the best garden-balcony contests draw high attention from the people.
The 2007 theme of the photography competition, which ranks first among the cultural activities of the festivity, will be the “Beekeeping and Apiculture”. Cameras will be taken for our region’s renowned pine honey and its production. The works of the competitors will be evaluated by the expert jury members. The works also to be determined by the jury will be exhibited throughout the festivity.
The ‘sandcastle competition’ will be open to everyone at any age at the beach.
This competition entertains not only the viewers but also the competitors. Valuable gifts will be given to the first three teams which make the best castle within two hours.
The garden and balconies in which wonderful plants take place are already being prepared in order to be “the best of Marmaris”.
Three new competitions are added to our festivity this year: First, the “piece of jewellery design” competition with the theme of Marmaris. At the end of this competition, an exhibition will be opened. The other two competitions are the “dog beauty and ability contest” and the “cartoon competition among the schools”. These competitions will be held at the closing picnic in Günnücek.
The cultural, natural and touristic values and problems of the region will constitute the theme of the panels. Since the interest shown in the panel regarding the Marmaris Flora at the 2006 Festival was high, we had to raise the number of the panels at the 2007 Festival to two.
The experts and the people who conducted studies regarding the problems of the young people throughout the country will be our guests at the panel entitled “Problems of the Young People Living in the Tourism Regions.” They will share their experiences and views both with the young people and their families. Honey which is one of the significant products of the Muğla region will be the theme of the second panel of the festivity. “Beekeeping and Apiculture” panel will convene the honey producers, academicians and the consumers and will help them discuss the problems of the sector and search solutions.
The 2007 Marmaris Youth and Spring Festivity will host five exhibitions this time. The works of art which are worthy of being displayed at the photography competition entitled “Beekeeping and Apiculture” will be exhibited together with the unforgettable photographs taken from the First Marmaris International Maritime Festival held in 2005.
At other exhibitions, the pieces of jewellery designed by the women via considering the Marmaris theme and the paintings to be made by the children living in Marmaris and brotherly cities will be displayed for the admiration of the people in Marmaris. The cartoons entitled ‘tourism’ which participate in the cartoon competition among the schools will be an exhibition that will make the people smile at the festivity.
The competitions and tournaments for the young people at the Youth and Spring Festivity will be organized at the beach. The beach volleyball and the beach football which are increasingly receiving attention from the viewers will enable excitement-inspiring hours on the hot sands.
While the Beach Football Tournament among the high schools and the beach volleyball will make the beach a place where the sports and entertainment are experienced together, the Fathers and Sons Football Tournament and the street basketball will enable the people of all ages living in Marmaris to make sports.