Throwback Festival 2026: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Istanbul)

A Friday night set in 1993

The headline name here is Haddaway. He’s the Trinidad-born, Germany-based singer whose 1993 single “What Is Love” became one of the defining Eurodance records. At Throwback Festival 2026 on Friday, November 13, 2026, that song is why a room full of Istanbul thirty- and forty-somethings will be singing the “baby, don’t hurt me” line back at the stage.

The concept is simple and unapologetic. The night is aimed at fans of 90s and 2000s dance-pop: big synth hooks, four-on-the-floor beats and choruses that everyone in the room already knows. Nobody comes to this kind of night to discover anything new. They come for songs they already know by heart.

What we know, and what to check

Here is the confirmed core of the event:

• Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
• City: Istanbul, Turkey
• Featured act: Haddaway
• Theme: 90s and 2000s dance-pop nostalgia

We don’t list a venue, a full lineup, set times or prices on this page, because we only print what we can verify. Confirm timing, venue and tickets on the official event listing. Check the date printed on your ticket too; it’s a quick way to catch resale listings for a different show.

Tickets without the headache

Concert tickets in Turkey are usually sold through national platforms such as Biletix and Passo, often as e-tickets linked to your name. Buy only from the platform the official event page names. Avoid screenshots sold through social media, since a resold QR code can only be scanned once.

Foreign visitors can usually register on these sites with a passport number in place of a Turkish ID number. Keep the passport in your bag on the night, because some doors check names against tickets. The price is shown on the official ticketing page at checkout. That page is the only figure worth trusting.

Getting across the city on a Friday

Istanbul’s Friday evening traffic is heavy. The bridges over the Bosphorus clog first, so a taxi that looks like 20 minutes on the map can take an hour. Rail is the safer bet whenever your venue sits near a line.

Check the venue address on the official listing, then look for the nearest stop on these lines:

• M2 metro, the north–south spine of the European side through Taksim, Şişli and Levent
• Marmaray, the undersea rail tunnel linking the European and Asian shores
• T1 tram through the historic peninsula, Sultanahmet to Kabataş
• Ferries between Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Karaköy, Eminönü and Beşiktaş

One rechargeable Istanbulkart works on all of these. You can top it up at the yellow machines in stations, and several friends can use the same card by tapping once each.

Getting home after the last chorus

The rhythm of an Istanbul concert night has its own logic. Doors open well before the headliner, the bar queue builds between acts, and the real crush comes at the exit as everyone heads for transport at once. A few habits make it easier:

• Check last services in advance. Metro and ferry schedules vary by line, so check the return trip before you leave your hotel.
• Use an app for taxis. BiTaksi and Uber both hail licensed yellow cabs, which avoids fare arguments at a busy kerb.
• Round up, don’t calculate. Taxi drivers don’t expect a percentage tip; rounding the fare up is normal.
• Carry a card and a little lira. Bars at large venues generally take cards, but street vendors outside often don’t.
• Walk a block before hailing. Cabs drop off and pick up more easily one street away from the main exit.

Locals often stretch the night out with a late plate of köfte or a bowl of tripe soup (işkembe çorbası). Both are traditional end-of-night food in Istanbul.

Making a weekend of it

Mid-November in Istanbul is cool and often damp. Daylight fades around 5pm. Bring a jacket you can tie round your waist indoors, or check it at a cloakroom if the venue has one.

The festival falls on a Friday, so you have the weekend free. Saturday is good for a slow ferry across the Bosphorus, with simit (sesame bread rings) from a deck-side vendor. You could also spend a morning at Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque before the crowds build. On Sunday, the Kadıköy market streets on the Asian side are full of fishmongers, pickle shops and meyhanes (taverns).