SOCIAL and CULTURAL LIFE
Kocaeli hosts a thriving cultural and artistic scene, as befits any contemporary city, with cinemas, theatres, artistic communities, and the cultural publications of the local press. The venues listed below combine to offer a variety of events such as plays, exhibitions, concerts, and national and international conferences:
Sabancı Culture Centre
Süleyman Demirel Culture Centre
Kocaeli District Theatre
City Theatres
In addition, restaurants, fast-food eateries and cinemas are variously located in the 5 shopping centres listed below:
Carrefour
Real
Outlet Centre
Dolphin
Özdilek
Ncity
The main city cinemas are as follows:
Belsa Cinemas
Outlet Centre Cinemas
Dolphin Centre Cinemas
Özdilek Cinemas
Star Cinema
Kocaeli also offers numerous facilities for the following sporting activities: archery, hunting, athletics, basketball, cycling, boxing, ice-sports, riding, badminton, mountaineering, football, wrestling, skiing, canoeing, table-tennis, motor-sports, water-sports, volleyball, yachting and swimming. Here is a numerical breakdown of the region’s facilities:
Stadiums (1) and Fields (33)
Sports Centres/Gyms (3)
Indoor Swimming Pools (2)
Motor-racing Tracks (1)
Yachting/Canoeing Parks (4)
Tennis Courts
Despite its relatively small size, Kocaeli with its beaches, plains and historical sites can develop its tourism alongside its industry. To this end, a number of areas cater for a variety of sporting activities: mountaineering on Ballıkayalar and Kartepe, with trekking there and at Yuvacık; water-sports at Sapanca Lake, Kerpe, Kefken and Seyrek (eg: water-skiing and motor-ski); motor-cross and dirt-biking and Maşükiye and Körfez.