Turkey marketing calendar 2027: holidays, shopping peaks and content dos and don'ts

By Atakan Özalan, Co-founder, VayBe!· Published 23 October 2026· 10 min read· Read it in Turkish

In 2027 Ramazan starts on 8 February, Ramazan Bayramı runs 9–11 March and Kurban Bayramı 16–19 May. Mother's Day is 9 May, Father's Day 20 June, Black Friday 26 November. Of the 39 dates below, 15 are not for selling: on 10 November, 18 March and 15 July pause every ad.

How to read this calendar

This is the dataset VayBe! uses to plan content for Turkish brands: 48 dates from November 2026 to December 2027, 39 of them in 2027. For each day it tells you what it is, whether selling is welcome, and when to start.

Type: official (public holiday), religious, commemoration (national mourning or remembrance) or commercial. The type sets the tone.
Sell? "No" means no discounts, calls to action or product shots. Pause scheduled sales posts and ads that day.
Prep: the first date is when production starts, the second when publishing (teasers, countdowns) starts, about a week later.
"Day only" / "evening only": no teasers. Prepare early, post on the day.

Religious dates follow the 2027 calendar of Diyanet (Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs) as reported in the press; confirm on diyanet.gov.tr before locking a media budget. Islamic dates move earlier every year, so never copy last year's plan.

January to June 2027 at a glance

Date	Day	Occasion	What it is	Type	Sell?	Prep (produce / post)
1 Jan	Fri	Yılbaşı	New Year's Day, a secular celebration	Official	Yes	22 Dec / 29 Dec
4 Jan	Mon	Miraç Kandili	Holy night of the Prophet's ascension	Religious	No	28 Dec / evening only
22 Jan	Fri	Karne günü	Report cards; school break to 5 Feb	Commercial	Daytime only	12 Jan / 19 Jan
22 Jan	Fri	Berat Kandili	Holy night; greet after 17:00	Religious	No	15 Jan / evening only
8 Feb – 8 Mar	Mon	Ramazan	Month of fasting; first teravih prayer 7 Feb	Religious	Yes, carefully	25 Jan / 1 Feb
14 Feb	Sun	Sevgililer Günü	Valentine's Day, inside Ramazan this year	Commercial	Yes	28 Jan / 4 Feb
5 Mar	Fri	Kadir Gecesi	Night of Power, the holiest night of Ramazan	Religious	No	26 Feb / evening only
8 Mar	Mon	Dünya Kadınlar Günü	International Women's Day	Commercial	Soft	26 Feb / 5 Mar
8 Mar (from 13:00)	Mon	Ramazan Bayramı arifesi	Eve of the Bayram, a half-day holiday	Religious	Yes	26 Feb / 5 Mar
9–11 Mar	Tue–Thu	Ramazan Bayramı	End-of-fast festival, also Şeker Bayramı	Official	Yes	23 Feb / 2 Mar
12 Mar	Fri	İstiklal Marşı'nın Kabulü	Anniversary of the national anthem's adoption	Commemoration	No	5 Mar / day only
14 Mar	Sun	Tıp Bayramı	Medicine Day: thank health workers	Commercial	No	6 Mar / 13 Mar
18 Mar	Thu	Çanakkale Zaferi	Gallipoli victory and its fallen	Commemoration	No	11 Mar / day only
21 Mar	Sun	Nevruz	Spring festival; keep it cultural	Commercial	Yes	11 Mar / 18 Mar
23 Apr	Fri	Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı	National Sovereignty and Children's Day	Official	Soft	13 Apr / 20 Apr
1 May	Sat	Emek ve Dayanışma Günü	Labour and Solidarity Day	Official	No	24 Apr / day only
9 May	Sun	Anneler Günü	Mother's Day	Commercial	Yes	18 Apr / 25 Apr
15 May (from 13:00)	Sat	Kurban Bayramı arifesi	Eve of the Feast of Sacrifice, half day	Religious	Yes	6 May / 13 May
16–19 May	Sun–Wed	Kurban Bayramı	Feast of Sacrifice: family, sharing, travel	Official	Yes	2 May / 9 May
19 May	Wed	Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı	Youth and Sports Day, commemorating Atatürk	Official	Soft	11 May / 18 May
6 Jun	Sun	Hicri Yılbaşı	Islamic New Year; greeting is optional	Religious	No	30 May / day only
15 Jun	Tue	Aşure Günü	Day of sharing aşure; mourning for Alevis	Religious	No	8 Jun / day only
20 Jun	Sun	Babalar Günü	Father's Day	Commercial	Yes	3 Jun / 10 Jun
25 Jun	Fri	Karne günü	School year ends, summer break starts	Commercial	Yes	15 Jun / 22 Jun

July to December 2027 at a glance

Date	Day	Occasion	What it is	Type	Sell?	Prep (produce / post)
15 Jul	Thu	Demokrasi ve Milli Birlik Günü	Remembers those killed resisting the coup attempt	Commemoration	No	8 Jul / day only
13 Aug	Fri	Mevlid Kandili	Holy night of the Prophet's birth	Religious	No	6 Aug / evening only
16 Aug – ~13 Sep	Mon	Okula dönüş	Start date not yet announced	Commercial	Yes	9 Aug / whole window
30 Aug	Mon	Zafer Bayramı	Victory Day (Büyük Taarruz, Dumlupınar)	Official	No, or very soft	22 Aug / 29 Aug
28 Oct (from 13:00)	Thu	Cumhuriyet Bayramı arifesi	Eve of Republic Day, half day	Official	Yes	19 Oct / 26 Oct
29 Oct	Fri	Cumhuriyet Bayramı	Republic Day, 104th year	Official	Soft, never cheapen it	17 Oct / 24 Oct
10 Nov	Wed	10 Kasım	Anniversary of Atatürk's death; national mourning	Commemoration	No	3 Nov / one post at 09:05
11 Nov	Thu	11.11	Singles' Day shopping peak	Commercial	Yes	30 Oct / 6 Nov, skip 10 Nov
24 Nov	Wed	Öğretmenler Günü	Teachers' Day	Commercial	Soft	12 Nov / 19 Nov
26–29 Nov	Fri–Mon	Efsane Cuma + Cyber Monday	Black Friday, often sold as Efsane Cuma	Commercial	Yes	5 Nov / 12 Nov
29 Nov	Mon	Üç Ayların Başlangıcı	Start of the three holy months	Religious	Keep the greeting separate	22 Nov / day only
1–31 Dec	Wed–Fri	Yılbaşı season	New Year gifting season	Commercial	Yes	24 Nov / whole month
2 Dec	Thu	Regaip Kandili	Holy night	Religious	No	25 Nov / evening only
12 Dec	Sun	12.12	Last big sale before New Year	Commercial	Yes	2 Dec / 9 Dec
24 Dec	Fri	Miraç Kandili	Holy night, its second date in 2027	Religious	No	17 Dec / evening only

Miraç Kandili really falls twice in 2027, on 4 January and 24 December, because the Hijri calendar drifts.

Still ahead in 2026

10 Nov (Tue, one post at 09:05, ads off), 11.11 (Wed, relaunch at 08:00), 16–20 Nov school break, 24 Nov Teachers' Day, 27–30 Nov Efsane Cuma and Cyber Monday (publish from 13 Nov), 5 Dec (women's suffrage anniversary, no selling), 10 Dec Regaip Kandili, 12.12 and the December gift season.

Ramazan and the two Bayrams, explained for marketers

Selling is fine during Ramazan and both Bayrams; tone is everything.

Ramazan (8 February – 8 March). The month of fasting. Iftar (the meal that breaks the fast) and sahur (the pre-dawn meal) are natural hooks: iftar menus, an iftar countdown story, a sahur playlist, sharing campaigns such as "askıda ekmek" (bread paid for someone else). Never mock fasting and keep alcohol and party creative away. Greeting: "Hayırlı Ramazanlar".

Ramazan Bayramı (9–11 March). Also called Şeker Bayramı, the "sugar festival": family, sweets, pocket money, nostalgia. Greeting: "Ramazan Bayramınız mübarek olsun".

Kurban Bayramı (16–19 May). The Feast of Sacrifice: sharing, family, holiday travel. Never show slaughter, blood or animal suffering, even in a how-to. Greeting: "Kurban Bayramınız mübarek olsun".

Arife (8 March and 15 May). Each eve is a half-day holiday from 13:00, ideal for shipping cut-offs and travel checklists.

Kandil nights. Five in 2027 (Miraç twice, Berat, Mevlid, Regaip), plus Kadir Gecesi, the holiest night. They begin in the evening: post a calm greeting between about 17:00 and 20:00 and pause sales that night.

Aşure Günü (15 June). A day of sharing a sweet pudding, but within Muharrem, a mourning period for Turkey's Alevi community. Use sharing themes, no festive sale language.

Mourning days, Atatürk and the flag: the rules that matter most

Three days call for a near-silent brand: 10 November, 18 March and 15 July.

10 November marks the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the republic's founder; the country pauses at 09:05, the time of his death. Post once, at 09:05, in black and white, with a short line. No logo push, product, CTA, humour or trending audio. Pause ads all day and check the evening before so no 11.11 teaser leaks in.
18 March remembers the Çanakkale (Gallipoli) victory and its fallen. A solemn typographic card or a real archival photo is enough.
15 July is respectful and strictly neutral: no humour, no product, no political commentary.
No AI likeness of Atatürk. Don't generate talking, animated or "deepfake" portraits. It carries legal risk under Law 5816 and heavy backlash. Use real, unaltered archival photos or typography.
Use the official flag file. Image models draw the crescent and star wrong. Composite the official vector flag; never put a logo on it, crop or distort it, or place it on the floor or on products.

On these days use muted visuals and a shrunken or desaturated logo. For New Year, say "Yeni yıl" by default; Christmas imagery suits some audiences and draws backlash from conservative ones, so decide per brand.

2027 clashes to plan around

8 March is also the Bayram eve. Publish Women's Day content before 12:00, then switch to Bayram greetings. Skip "special discount for women" clichés; they draw criticism every year.
8–12 March: the school mid-term break overlaps the Bayram (per BirGün), a long family-travel window.
14 February is day 7 of Ramazan. Tone down nightlife and alcohol; gifts and an iftar dinner for two are fine.
22 January: report cards and Berat Kandili. School content in the daytime, no sales stories in the evening.
19 May is the 4th day of Kurban Bayramı. Post both, but keep Youth and Sports Day separate from any Bayram sale.
10 November, then 11.11. End teasers before the 10th, go quiet on the 10th, relaunch on the 11th at 00:00 at the earliest; 08:00 is safer.
29 November: Cyber Monday and Üç Aylar. Keep the greeting apart from the sale, and no sales push on the Regaip Kandili evening of 2 December.

Advertising rules worth knowing before you launch

Not legal advice: a summary of the press coverage and official guidance in the sources. Check with local counsel.

Influencer labels. According to coverage of an amendment in Turkey's Official Gazette of 1 July 2026 (issue 33297), since 1 August 2026 influencer ads must carry "reklam" (advertisement), "iş birliği" (collaboration), "sponsorlu" (sponsored) or "tanıtım" (promotion). The amendment is reported to address AI-supported ads too. Start with the Ministry of Trade's influencer guide, and put the label in the brief.

Discounts need a 30-day price history. Per the Ministry's warning as reported by Ekonomi Gazetesi and Capital, a discount ad must state the product's lowest price of the previous 30 days, for Efsane Cuma, 11.11, 12.12 and Bayram sales alike. State stock and time limits, and record each product's 30-day low before setting the sale price.

Also: label AI-generated realistic people, never fabricate reviews, keep Tıp Bayramı to a thank-you (health ads have strict rules), and follow the Turkish Flag Regulation.

Brands that switch this calendar on in the VayBe! panel get each upcoming day's posts drafted ahead of time by VayBot, waiting in the approval queue; nothing goes out until you approve it.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ramadan 2027 in Turkey?

Ramazan 2027 starts on Monday 8 February, with the first teravih prayer on the evening of 7 February, and ends with the Bayram eve on 8 March. Ramazan Bayramı follows on 9–11 March.

When is Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) 2027 in Turkey?

Kurban Bayramı runs from Sunday 16 May to Wednesday 19 May 2027, with a half-day holiday from 13:00 on 15 May. Its fourth day is also Youth and Sports Day.

Can brands run sales during Ramadan in Turkey?

Yes, carefully. Iftar, gifting and sharing campaigns are normal. Avoid alcohol and party creative, never mock fasting, and pause sales on Kadir Gecesi and kandil nights.

When is Black Friday 2027 in Turkey, and what is it called?

Black Friday falls on 26 November 2027 and Cyber Monday on 29 November. Some brands avoid the literal Kara Cuma and say Efsane Cuma (Legendary Friday). Start publishing around 12 November.

Should international brands post Christmas content in Turkey?

Use New Year wording (Yeni yıl) by default. Christmas imagery suits some audiences but can draw backlash from conservative ones, so decide per brand.