Wikimedia Hackathon 2025/Venue

Istanbul, Turkey – May 2–4, 2025

Venue

Renaissance Polat Hotel

The Wikimedia Hackathon 2025 will take place at Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel, located in the Yeşilyurt neighborhood of Bakırköy district on the European side of Istanbul. Yeşilyurt is a coastal neighborhood and it's known for its green spaces, seaside location, and upscale residential areas, offering a peaceful and quiet atmosphere compared to the bustling city center.

The hotel was originally built in 1993 and was completely renovated in 2008. Inside the hotel there are two restaurants, a cafe and a bar, as well as shops.

The Hackathon’s main space is in the Palandoken ballroom with a secondary hacking space in Akdeniz on the B1 floor. There are two session/breakout rooms on the lobby level as well as a quiet room. Coffee breaks, snacks, lunch and dinner (except Sunday night) will be served in the hotel restaurant. Breakfast is available to those participants and their guests that are staying at the Renaissance Polat.

The Renaissance Polat hotel has two restaurants as well as an area where you can purchase snacks and drinks throughout the day.

The hotel is 800 meters from the Marmaray metro station — Yeşilyurt. The distance from the hotel to the metro station can be covered in 12 minutes. Using the metro, you can get to the historical center of the city, as well as to other areas.

Discounted hotel room rate information - currently at capacity

Discounted hotel room rate information for self-funded attendees

The Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel has graciously provided a discounted room rate link for those self-funded participants that will be attending the Hackathon and wish to stay at the hotel venue:

Hotel/venue: Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel reservation link
- Stay start date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Stay end date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
- Cost: 160.00 EUR per night (plus taxes - potentially 179.00 EUR)
Last day to book: Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Address

Yeşilyurt, Sahil Yolu Cd. No:2, 34149 Bakırköy/İstanbul, Türkiye

Geo coordinates: 40° 57′ 35.81″ N, 28° 50′ 19.55″ E

City

Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Türkiye, country's economic, cultural and historical center. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Türkiye. Istanbul is the most populous European city and the world's 16th-largest city.

One of the world's most dynamic cities, Istanbul is a metropolis. Istanbul is a transcontinental city straddling two continents by its inland sea, Marmara. The city is divided into four regions and has a natural harbor, the Golden Horn. One of the world’s busiest waterways, the Bosphorus, is in northwestern Türkiye between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Connecting the two seas, Bosphorus also separates Istanbul into two sides, the European side and the Asian side.

Language and useful Turkish phrases

Turkish is the mother tongue of 90 percent of the country's population.

Turkish phrases
Turkish	English	Pronounce
Merhaba	Hello
Günaydin	Good Morning
iyi akşamlar	Good Evening
Nasilsiniz?	How are you?
Güle güle	Goodbye
Evet	Yes
Hayir	No
Pardon	I'm sorry
Teşekkürler	Thank you

Safety and Security

Overview

Please keep in mind that all attendees are subject to local laws in Türkiye.
Please read the travel/visa regulations here and familiarize yourself with the entry guidelines.
Please also familiarize yourself with any guidance issued by your country's foreign affairs ministry.

Current Situation

As you may know from the news, the Mayor of Istanbul was arrested in mid-March on several charges, which caused a political crisis and mass protests in the country. The main mass protests are taking place in Istanbul, and the police have used force to disperse them (water cannons, pepper spray, etc.).
We know a large demonstration is planned for May 1 in Taksim Square and potentially other locations. For your safety, we strongly recommend that if you arrive in Istanbul on May 1st, refrain from visiting the demonstration sites and do not join them.
Although the political crisis and its consequences do not and cannot impact our event, we are taking measures for your safety and to have a pleasant time. We would also like to remind you that our hotel / the event venue are located in a safe and quiet area of the city and are not affected by the current events. We strongly recommend that you stay in your hotel and participate in WMTR hosted activities during the event.

Laptop and device safety while traveling

Istanbul and the hotel venue are both safe for participants, and we wanted to remind everyone of common sense actions that can make keeping your laptop safe:

For all attendees

make sure your laptop is using up-to-date and fully patched systems
use disk and key encryption as needed
do not leave devices unsupervised and unlocked
use a trusted service provider's VPN if possible
use a hotel safe where possible to keep devices locked up when they are not with you
avoid using public wifi hotspots and try to stick to an single approved conference wifi. Using a private VPN back to your home (if you have one) would be preferable as any shared wifi hotspot has risks associated with it

For those attendees that have +2 rights and/or root access or other administrative rights on their devices

keep SSH keys on a separate USB stick or Yubikey with encryption and a strong passphrase. Avoid leaving them in an unlocked (decrypted) state.
avoid use of mobile devices for sensitive activities, use a laptop instead.
keep devices encrypted and powered off in higher risk situations (i.e. border crossing) or when unattended.
be diligent about locking device screens and removing USB sticks/yubikeys if laptops are temporarily left unattended. Ensure someone you trust is keeping an eye on the device or keep it with you at all times.
consider minimizing use of sensitive credentials to be only when it is essential - especially if they are powerful credentials.
For Foundation staff: use Foundation provided laptops when possible and ensure that they are fully patched and up-to-date. A local firewall should also be in place to prevent external network access.

During your travels to and from Istanbul

Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.
Avoid demonstrations and crowds as much as possible.
Stay at the hotel and travel in small groups (2-4 people).
Monitor local media and be prepared to adjust your plans quickly.
Be mindful when discussing cultural, social, political, or religious topics.
Review your government’s travel advisory for Türkiye. For example, here are travel advisories from the US, UK, and Canada.
Smoking bans: Smoking is illegal on public transport and in all indoor workplaces and public places. Smoking is restricted in some outdoor areas where cultural, artistic, sports or entertainment activities are held.
Illegal drugs: Türkiye has strict laws against the use, possession and trafficking of illegal drugs.
Using cameras: Do not take photographs of or near military or official installations, or of any protests or police action you may encounter. Do not take photographs of individuals without their consent.
Personal ID: It's always wise to carry a copy of your passport along with your visa and any suitable photo identification while traveling in any country.

When visiting mosques or other historical sites in Istanbul

In general, because these are religious buildings, women should not show their shoulders and cover their hair. Skirts and dresses should go below the knees. For men, they should have their legs covered (no shorts).
There are historical sites that have mosques and churches, people should make sure that they bring things to cover up so they can enter.
In orthodox churches this can vary, sometimes women are not required to wear a scarf but this depends on the church.
Review the guidelines of the site you are entering before you enter to ensure you are following any specifics the site has.

Recommendations for LGBTQ+ attendees

Be mindful of local laws and norms.
Partly due to the city's cosmopolitan nature and its historical role as a hub for LGBTQ+ life, Istanbul is generally more tolerant of LGBTQ+ individuals compared to other parts of Türkiye. It has a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, with areas like Beyoğlu and Taksim Square hosting many gay bars, clubs, and cafes. The area surrounding the Hackathon hotel is in a LGBTQ+ friendly neighborhood, and people can walk freely however they want.
Homosexuality is legal in Türkiye, and there are LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhoods in Istanbul (although a majority of places cater more to a gay cis men crowd). However, there are no robust anti-discrimination laws, and same‐sex marriage isn’t recognized.
This means that while you won’t be breaking any law by being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, public attitudes can be mixed and potentially verbally hostile outside of the event, tourist and LGBTQ+-friendly areas like Beyoğlu, Kadıköy, and Cihangir. Even in relatively liberal/LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhoods, public displays of affection - whether by LGBTQ+ or heterosexual individuals - can be frowned upon, so discretion is advised. Relatedly, it’s a good idea to be mindful of overt expressions of LGBTQ+ identity in more conservative districts.
If desired, connect with local LGBTQ+ organizations or support groups (e.g., Lambda Istanbul, Kaos GL, SPoD) before and during your stay, for real-time local advice and safe space recommendations.
If you have any concerns before or during your travel please reach out to hackathon@wikimedia.org.
For more details on LGBTQ+ and Istanbul, please read the LGBTQ culture in Istanbul Wikipedia article.

Additional Note

Wikipedia was blocked in Türkiye for 3 years (2017-2020), a block which was lifted by the Constitutional Court which ruled that the block violated human rights. Please read more here. In the past, the Turkish government has had issues with Wikipedia, but does not have any kind of issues with the Wikimedia Foundation and its volunteers.

May 1: International Workers' Day background and what to expect

International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, or the first Monday in May.

1 May is an official holiday celebrated in Turkey, meaning it's not a working day. Workers' Day was first celebrated in 1912 in Istanbul and 1899 in İzmir. During the Cold War era in Turkey, there was a confrontation between the right and left movements, which was mainly bloody. May 1 was the main holiday of the leftists, and there were large rallies in Taksim Square. The right wing almost always was part of these rallies, which mostly turned into bloody confrontations with victims. With the military coup of 1982, the end of the Cold War era, and Turkey's transition to a stable parliamentary system, the standoff ended, and the May 1 protests were peaceful. Despite this, the May 1 rallies remain a platform for protest against dissatisfaction with the government's policies, and sometimes, such rallies end in mass arrests.

As the May 1st holiday unfolds in 2025, we expect crowds to gather in Taksim Square and along Istiklal Street. Three metro stations that provide access to Taksim Square (Osmanbey, Taksim, Şişhane) will be closed to prevent pedestrians from entering the square. Police will also be present to actively discourage people from gathering in the area.

We recommend avoiding Taksim Square and the area around it on May 1st so as not to be accidentally involved in any commotion that might occur. Istanbul is a large city, and avoiding Taksim Square on May 1st should be fairly easy. Shops and other places of business are expected to be closed near Taksim Square on May 1st, but the rest of Istanbul will be open and available to explore.

If you arrive in Istanbul on May 1st, your travel from the Istanbul (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) airports to the Hackathon venue should be uninterrupted, as several transportation routes will not pass near Taksim Square.

Typical Weather

Istanbul in May typically has mild and pleasant weather, generally warm during the day but a bit cooler in the early mornings and evenings, with an occasional light rain shower. A light jacket or sweater is appropriate along with comfortable shoes to explore in; sunglasses and/or a hat is also recommended.

Minimum temperature: 16°C (61°F)
Maximum temperature: 22°C (72°F)
Average temperature: 19°C (66°F)
Average rainfall: 35mm
Average number of rainy days: 7
Daylight hours: ~6am to ~8pm

Recent Earthquake Activity in Istanbul - Statement from WMTR

As you might already know, on the afternoon of April 23, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 occurred in Istanbul. The quake did not cause any destruction or damage, we are monitoring the current situation and will keep you updated.

For Turkey, as well as for our entire region, earthquakes are nothing new. Turkey is a seismically active area within the complex collision zone between the Eurasian plate and the African and Arabian plates. Because of this, earthquakes often occur in Turkey (some of them are serious, such as the one that happened in 2023), and there will likely be more in the future. Aftershocks are to be expected in Istanbul, so be prepared for the possibility of them occurring while you are in the country.

Unfortunately, earthquakes are a natural occurrence that we cannot foresee or predict in advance. We will provide more earthquake information during the opening ceremony. You can also find practical earthquake advice in our digital guide. We are also pleased to tell you that our venue / hotel building is earthquake-resistant and meets all safety standards.

Rest assured that the organizing team will keep you updated on the latest news and provide you with assistance as needed during our event. Please check our Hackathon Venue / Istanbul wiki page for any new updates before you travel to Istanbul.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mehman On behalf of the Organization Team Türkiye

Bosphorus boat tour / Closing celebration dinner - May 4, 2025

Route. Not sure if the stop is when going there or going back. :)

We’re excited to announce that for the closing dinner celebration at the Hackathon, we’ll be doing a boat tour of the Bosphorus Strait!

We will be departing at 6pm, from our Hackathon venue (at the Renaissance Polat Hotel boat dock) and traversing the Bosphorus Strait seeing amazing sites along the way: Bakırköy (beach) - Zeytinburnu - Yenikapı - Sarayburnu - Karaköy - Beşiktaş - Ortaköy - Kuruçeşme - Arnavutköy - Bebek - Rumelihisarı (fortress) - Anadoluhisarı (fortress) - Küçüksu - Vaniköy - Çengelköy - Beylerbeyi - Üsküdar - Kızkulesi (tower).

The boat tour will take approximately 4 to 5 hours in total, and we will make a short stop, approximately halfway through in Eminönü (map), to allow folks to depart the boat tour if they wish. We will have a shuttle bus available upon docking in Eminönü to take folks back to the Renaissance Polat Hotel, leaving at approximately 9pm. For those participants that want to continue on the boat tour, after the short stop in Eminönü, we will return to the Renaissance Polat Hotel on the boat. For those participants that want to depart the boat tour in Eminönü but not take the shuttle bus back, you’ll need to find your own transportation to your accommodations.

The boat is a double-decker vessel run by Bogazda Organization and potentially on this boat. The first floor is closed to the elements and dinner will be served there. The second floor is a large open space with plenty of seating and entertainment space. Dinner will be served on the lower deck in the first half of the tour with table service.

The weather will generally be mild, however, it will be cool at sea in the evening, so we recommend bringing a coat, shawl, or vest. We will have meat, vegetarian, and gluten free options for your dinner, along with soft drinks, water, beer, and wine.