IDEF 2027 Istanbul: Delegation Dinners on a Bosphorus Yacht

Short answer: IDEF 2027, the 18th International Defence Industry Fair, runs from Monday 3 to Sunday 9 May 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İstanbul Fuar Merkezi, İFM) in Yeşilköy, in the Bakırköy district on the European side of Istanbul. The 2025 edition brought together 1,491 companies from 49 countries, 229 delegations from 100 countries and international organisations, and more than 120,000 visitors from 114 countries (IDEF press release, 23 February 2026). The 2027 programme, opening hours and visitor registration are not published yet (checked 22 October 2026). The fair is not on the Bosphorus: for a delegation or client dinner on the water, the group goes by road to Karaköy or another pier, and a private yacht takes it along the Bosphorus for the evening.

IDEF 2027 at a glance

What is not announced yet

As of 22 October 2026 the organiser has not published the 2027 programme (“to be published once finalised”), the daily opening hours or any 2027 forecast, and visitor registration has not opened: “IDEF 2027 için ziyaretçi başvuruları henüz başlamamıştır”. Register on the organiser’s site when it opens; we do not handle fair registration. Without opening hours, we set dinner departure times with you once your group’s day is clear. Other pages on the organiser’s site give slightly different 2025 counts; we quote the press release only. The month has also changed: the 2025 edition was in July (22–27 July 2025), while 2027 moves to early May.

Where the fair is, and where the yachts are

Istanbul Expo Center is in Yeşilköy, on the European side, with its own station on the Yenikapı–Atatürk Havalimanı metro line. It is not on the Bosphorus, and we have no pier at or near the fair: our yachts sail from Karaköy and the piers below. The organiser publishes no travel time from the fair to the city centre, so we do not quote one either.

A fair-week dinner on the water therefore has two legs: a road transfer from the fair or the hotel to the pier, then the cruise. If you need the transfer, tell us; it is quoted separately. Guests should be at the pier 10 minutes before departure. We agree the yacht’s departure time in writing. We cannot promise how long the road leg takes: traffic and the end of the fair day are outside our control, so we leave a margin when we set the departure.

Standard boarding is at Karaköy, in front of Balıkçı Kemal restaurant. On request: Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kuruçeşme and Bebek on the European shore, or Kadıköy on the Asian shore, with a distance-based surcharge in the written quote. If the group comes from its hotel, the pier nearest the hotel is usually simplest. See our boarding points.

Delegation and client dinners in the fair week

Any evening from Monday 3 to Sunday 9 May can be a dinner on the Bosphorus for a delegation, a client team or an embassy’s guests. The yacht is chartered whole: your group is the only one on board, and the route, timing and menu are yours. A two-hour cruise from Karaköy passes Dolmabahçe and Çırağan, the yalı mansions and the two fortresses by the second bridge, Rumeli Hisarı and Anadolu Hisarı, before turning back; three hours gives a seated dinner time to unfold.

Discretion is part of the job: your programme and guest list stay between you, us and the crew, and we do not name clients. Soft drinks are included. Dinner, alcoholic drinks, decoration, a photographer and musicians are extras, quoted separately; dietary requirements and an alcohol-free evening are normal requests.

Planning a delegation evening

1. Send the brief. Which evenings, how many guests, where the group starts (fair or hotel), the pier, the dinner format, dietary needs and what the invoice must show. Several evenings can go into one request.
2. Written quote, the same day. Yacht and hours, guest and pier surcharges, catering and the road transfer, each on its own line, plus the cancellation terms.
3. Deposit of at least 30%. Paid by Stripe card link or bank transfer, it confirms the date; until then the date is not held.
4. Guest list and final numbers. Send the guest list in advance, and confirm catering numbers by the date in the quote.
5. Menu and speeches. Confirm the menu. If there is a toast or a short speech, tell us roughly when, and we plan the route around it.
6. On the evening. Guests at the pier 10 minutes before departure; the balance is paid on the day.

More detail: our corporate event planning guide and the corporate dinner cruise page.

Prices, invoices and payment

A private yacht is priced per yacht, not per seat: from €150 per hour with a two-hour minimum, and from €120 per hour for six hours or more. The rate covers up to 12 guests; each guest above 12 adds €25, once per charter. No port tax, no booking fee. Worked examples are in our Istanbul yacht rental price guide.

Sunset Tours LLC, our US-based company, issues the commercial invoice in USD or EUR with the company details your procurement needs; tell us at quote stage what it must show. The cruise is operated by AST Turizm under TÜRSAB licence A-805. Payment is by Stripe card link (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), bank transfer to our EUR or USD accounts (a US account for wire or ACH), or cash. The fair week is a fixed-date event, so the cancellation terms are stated in the written quote. Company groups: corporate events on a yacht. Event agencies booking for exhibitors: yacht charter for travel agents.

After the fair: Kurban Bayramı 2027

Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) starts one week after IDEF closes on Sunday 9 May; it is not in the fair week.

See Turkey public holidays 2027 and our Eid Bosphorus cruise page. Bayram dates are special dates too: cancellation terms are stated in the written quote.

All the other 2027 dates, month by month from January to December, are in our Istanbul events calendar 2027.

Constantine Yachts is an independent yacht charter company. We are not affiliated with IDEF, its organisers (TSKGV, KFA Fuarcılık), the public bodies behind the fair or Istanbul Expo Center, and we do not handle fair registration.

Page last updated 22 October 2026. Dates checked against idef.com.tr (press release of 23 February 2026, fair imprint and FAQ) on 22 October 2026.

IDEF 2027: Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is IDEF 2027?

From Monday 3 to Sunday 9 May 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İFM) in Yeşilköy, Bakırköy, on the European side of Istanbul. It is the 18th edition. The organiser gives these dates in its press release of 23 February 2026 and on every page we checked on 22 October 2026.

Is the IDEF 2027 programme published yet?

No. As of 22 October 2026 the organiser says the programme will be published once finalised. Opening hours are not published, and visitor registration for 2027 has not opened.

Can a yacht pick up our delegation at the fair?

No. Istanbul Expo Center is not on the Bosphorus, and we have no pier at or near the fair. The group goes by road to Karaköy, or on request to Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kuruçeşme, Bebek or Kadıköy. We quote the road transfer separately if you need it, and we agree the departure time in writing.

How much is a private dinner cruise for a delegation?

From €150 per hour for the whole yacht, with a two-hour minimum. Up to 12 guests are included and each guest above 12 adds €25, once per charter, so 30 guests for three hours is €900 for the yacht. Soft drinks are included; dinner, alcoholic drinks and transfers are quoted separately. Groups of up to 200 guests are possible with our partner fleet, priced by written quote.

Can you invoice our company in USD or EUR?

Yes. Sunset Tours LLC, our US-based company, issues a commercial invoice in USD or EUR with the company details your procurement needs. The cruise runs under TÜRSAB licence A-805. You can pay by bank transfer to our EUR or USD accounts or by Stripe card link.

What are the cancellation terms for the fair week?

The fair week is a fixed-date event, so the cancellation terms are stated in the written quote, which you receive the same day. A deposit of at least 30% confirms the date, and the balance is paid on the day.