Held each year since 1998 with the cooperation of the Sabancı Foundation and the General Directorate of State Theaters, the “State Theaters—Sabancı International Adana Theater Festival” hosts numerous national and international theatrical troupes. It is the only international festival to last a month, and approximately one million theater lovers so far have watched the plays performed throughout the festival.

The 23rd State Theater—Sabancı Foundation International Adana Theater Festival, held from March 27 to April 30, 2022, hosted 19 theaters from Türkiye and three from abroad, with a total of 22 different plays.

The longest-running theater festival in Türkiye gives the “Sakıp Sabancı Lifetime Achievement Award” as a token of appreciation and respect to the masters of the theater who have contributed significantly to the development of theater as an art form in Türkiye. In 2022, Zihni Göktay was presented with the award.