Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Morel Mushroom Festival

Every spring, for three days, the pretty hillside village of Yeşilüzümlü that sits above Fethiye plays host to thousands of festival goers. How many years have we been doing an annual troop up to the village centre for the Yeşilüzümlü Mushroom Festival?

A good few, now. 2010 was the first time and wow, has it grown since then! Of the local events in the area, it’s got to be the biggest.

It’s even changed names since that time, too. No longer is it simply the Üzümlü Mushroom Festival. The village has since changed name and a famous local craft is now also, quite rightly, celebrated alongside the mushrooms.

So now, we have the Yeşilüzümlü Yöresi Dastar ve Kuzugöbeği Mantar Festivali – the Yeşilüzümlü Region Dastar & Morel Mushroom Festival.

It’s the local annual event that heralds spring for us, really.

The festival is slightly different each year. But we still have a great time on whichever day we choose to head up the hill for the festivities.

In the past, we’ve been energetic and driven up to – and walked around – the spectacular Lycian ruins of Cadianda as part of the day. The natural beauty around here is immense.

But the sheer number of festival goers these days means we stay put in the village once we arrive.

It’s just always worth heading up to the village of Üzümlü (or ‘Yeşilüzümlü’ as it is called these days) when it’s festival time.

Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Morel Mushroom Festival

The lively mushroom festival is a three-day event – Friday to Sunday. And it usually takes place in April as this is the time when morel mushrooms (kuzu göbeği) start to grow in the surrounding forests.

The Morels

Weather permitting and all that!

We have been to the Yeşilüzümlü mushroom festival when there have been precious few mushrooms to celebrate and showcase. Not that it detracted much from the festival experience!

Highly prized, morel mushrooms sell for good money around the world – and here in the Fethiye area, too – but the annual festival gives us chance to enjoy little morel treats without breaking the bank.

Right after we’ve all opened our eyes wide in amazement and performed the sharp intake of breath at the high price per kilo.

And The Dastar

And with the famous Yeşilüzümlü dastar being added to the mix – that, of course, means the festival is no longer reliant on the early spring weather allowing the wild mushrooms to sprout.

We can celebrate dastar whatever the season. Look out for the dastar stalls, for the looms and the houses and gardens displaying these traditional crafts.

And, as it’s a festival, there’s lots of other activities taking place, too.

It’s always a happy, lively, crowded atmosphere. And, after a long winter, it feels like this is the festival where Fethiye wakes up and comes out to play.

Local life at its best.

The Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Morel Mushroom Experience

Browsing

Lining the hill up into the village centre and then along the side streets, the mushroom festival is a great chance to browse stalls selling local crafts. Including the beautiful dastar you can see in the photo above.

If you love a bit of shopping and browsing and supporting local artisans, we’d recommend you get to the festival early in the day before all the crowds arrive. This will give you chance to wander the craft stalls at your leisure.

And, of course, away from the main hill up to the village square, the crowds start to thin out. But there are still goodies to browse and buy.

Music & Dance

Whatever day you decide to head up to the festival on, there’s always music and dancing.

Nothing better than a bit of dancing, is there, to lift the spirits and blow away the doldrums of the winter months?

There’s usually an official festival programme with performances taking place in the main square.

From traditional dances in the afternoon to live music performances on the stage as night begins to fall – and lots of other performances in between.

Meanwhile, members of the Fethiye’s Yörük community are often present, proudly adorned in their traditional dress.

These days most of the Yörük live in houses and apartments. But these are the semi-nomadic people who head to the yayla – the cooler highlands of the area – with their livestock at the beginning of the summer months. Then return to the lower pastures in the winter.

They have their own culture and traditions and there are various Yörük Turkmen organisations around the country that work to preserve this culture and pass it on to future generations.

Impromptu traditional music and dance in the streets more than adds to the festival atmosphere.

And if you’re familiar with the live music scene of the bars and restaurants around Fethiye, the Wine House in Üzümlü usually has local bands and musicians performing, too.

One tiny village centre – all sorts going on.

Let’s Eat!

Because, along with the handful of local eateries in the village, there’s also loads of Turkish street food choices on offer.

And as we’re at a morel mushroom festival, this is where you can sample the local kuzugöbeği in various ways.

Well, don’t mind if we do! A few chopped morel mushrooms in a traditional gözleme.

And we didn’t try this one, but finely chopped morels sauteed in a saç and served in a half bread.

It resembles kokoreç but it’s also great for the vegetarians and vegans. And for those of us who just love trying different ideas.

Don’t worry if you’re not a ‘mushroomy’ person.

There are lots of other food treats on offer around the festival. From pide to sucuk to döner kebab – and sometimes even the food stands serving up the regional cuisine of different Turkish provinces.

If you ever do buy any morels – or forage for any – this crispy fried morel mushroom recipe is really simple and celebrates the flavours of the mushroom.

And whilst all of this goes on in daylight hours, as the sun goes down, there are live music concerts on the main stage in the square for each of the days. The Sunday night tends to have a famous Turkish star that is known and loved by those of all ages.

Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Morel Mushroom Festival – Useful Info

• The annual mushroom festival usually takes place in April. Dates vary and it is just a case of waiting for the local announcement each year.
• The 2026 Yeşilüzümlü Dastar & Mushroom Festival will take place from 10th-12th April.
• There is a limited dolmuş service up to Üzümlü village. Also, the belediye (local municipality) usually puts on a free bus service from Fethiye, running at intervals throughout the day. These do get very crowded – it’s one of the popular Turkish festivals.
• If you drive there, be prepared to have a bit of a walk from wherever the designated parking areas are.
• Local festivals are a great way to soak up some of the local culture. If you can’t be around when one is taking place, however, there are still lots of other great things to do in the Fethiye area.

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