The Van Cat Festival: A City's Love Letter to Its Most Famous Resident

The Van cat is not quite like any other cat. A medium-large breed with a semi-long white coat, it is best known for a pair of eyes that often appear in different colours — one amber, one blue — a trait called heterochromia. Unlike most cats, Vans are strong swimmers; old photographs of them paddling in the lake have become one of Van's quiet international calling cards. The breed is native to this region and has lived alongside the city for centuries.

The Van Cat Festival takes place each autumn — typically in late September or early October — at Yüzüncü Yıl University, where the Van Cat Research and Application Centre houses the largest registered population of the breed in Turkey. For three days, the city opens the centre to visitors, pairs it with a programme of concerts, handicraft markets, and children's activities, and turns the cat itself into the organising theme of the weekend.

The research centre is the heart of the festival. Visitors walk through large enclosures where cats of all ages sun themselves, drink from water features, and — for those inclined — demonstrate the swimming habit the breed is famous for. Staff explain the breeding programme, the health monitoring, and the ongoing work to keep the population genetically healthy. Photography is permitted; flash is discouraged.

Beyond the centre, the festival sprawls through the university grounds and into the old quarter of Van. Artisans sell felt, copper, silver jewellery worked with regional motifs, and the famous Van kilims. Food stalls lean heavily into Van's culinary identity — otlu peynir (the herbed cheese that gives the breakfast its signature note), murtuğa (a buttery semolina dish), and fresh kaymak from local dairies. Evenings bring live music on an outdoor stage; the programming mixes traditional folk with contemporary Kurdish and Turkish acts from across the region.

Exact dates shift year to year and are usually announced in late summer. Our concierge desk keeps a current calendar and can arrange transport to and from the campus. Tickets to the research centre are low-cost and usually available at the gate; the rest of the festival is free.