The İzmir International Fair will open its doors for the 75th time today, remaining open until Sept. 10 and hosting a commercial, cultural and artistic extravaganza with almost 1,083 companies participating.

Companies from 60 countries will display their goods and services to an expected 1.5 million visitors, up from last year's 1.2 million. The honorary guest country of the fair will be Kazakhstan, which was selected due to the increasing bilateral commercial and cultural links between it and Turkey. The honorary guest city will be Uşak, which will exhibit its local cuisine, handcrafts, industrial products, music and other specialties.

Among the countries that will participate in this year's festival are Germany, Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Algeria, China, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, South Africa, the Netherlands, Iraq, Iran, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuwait, Cuba, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Moldova, Oman, Uzbekistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Slovenia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Greece.

The two major themes of this year's fair will be organic farming and alternative or renewable energy resources. Companies from these sectors will hold seminars and conferences, displaying their expertise and the problems they face. Among the other products on display will be cars, machinery, agricultural equipment, bicycles, motorcycles, food products, furniture, home appliances, building materials, boats and yachts, air-conditioning equipment, electronic and computer products, tourism services and books.

A casino where famous singers will hold concerts has been built on the fairgrounds, and an exhibition commemorating the 150th year of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and the “Yesterday and Today” of İzmir's fair are all ready for visitors to see. Old Turkish movies will also be screened in theaters.

A World Cuisine festival, basketball tournament and film festival will also be among activities guests can enjoy while touring the fairground.

The opening ceremony will take place today at 6:30 p.m. at Lausanne Square.



İzmir Fair opens its doors