Some theatres you visit; Aspendos you attend. Built by Roman architects almost two millennia ago and still famous for acoustics that carry an unamplified voice to the top row, the ancient theatre near Antalya hosts the International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival — a tradition running since 1994 that now draws around 100,000 spectators a year, staged by Turkey's General Directorate of State Opera and Ballet and recognised by the European Festivals Association.
Your evening starts gently. After a relaxed afternoon at the pool or beach, we collect you from your hotel in the early evening — the exact pickup moment is confirmed personally the day before, so all you need to do is be at the lobby. The coach crosses the fertile Pamphylian plain as the light fades, and then the theatre appears: a floodlit stone crescent rising out of the fields, looking very much as it has for nearly two thousand years.
Inside, you take your place on the original stone tiers — seating is unnumbered and free, so early arrivals choose their vantage point. At 21:00 sharp, every festival performance begins. Full-scale opera and classical ballet productions unfold on the ancient stage with orchestra, elaborate sets and casts of dozens; the programme is announced by the State Opera and Ballet each season, spanning grand opera and the great classical ballets. Even guests who have never set foot in an opera house find the combination irresistible: music written centuries ago, performed in a building older still, under a sky full of stars.
When the last ovation fades, your coach is waiting. You ride back through the warm September night and reach your hotel late, ticket stub in pocket and a story most visitors to the Turkish Riviera never get to tell. Category 2 admission and return hotel transport are included; a Category 1 upgrade nearer the stage can be added. Reservation is free, you pay on the day, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the event.
