| Music Festival Name: | Mersin International Music Festival |
| Location: | Mersin, Tarsus, Kanlıdivane |
| Years Active: | 2002-present |
| Founders: | Mersin Cultural Society |
| Genre: | Classical, jazz, pop |
Mersin International Music Festival (Turkish: Mersin Uluslararası Müzik Festivali), merfest for short, is a music festival held annually in Mersin, Turkey. In addition to Turkish artists, performers from Spain, Italy, United States, Hungary, Germany, France, Russia, Japan and Korea have participated in the festival.
Mersin International Music Festival is a non-governmental project sponsored by private companies, Mersin University, local municipalities and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It was established in 2002 and organized until 2007 by Mersin Cultural Society (Turkish: Mersin Kültür Merkezi Derneği). Since 2008, Mersin Art Activities Society (Turkish: Mersin Sanat Etkinlikleri Derneği) organizes the event.[1] In 2007, the festival became a member of the European Festivals Association (EFA).[2]
Most of the concerts are held in the halls of Mersin Cultural Center (Mersin Halkevi), Congress and Exhibition Center, Uğur Oral Cultural Center and Mersin University's Amphitheater. However, every year one concert is held at St Paulus Church in Tarsus and another one at Kanlıdivane, being an outdoor concert. Tarsus is located 27km (17miles) east, and Kanlıdivane 55km (34miles) west of Mersin.
The programme of 2010 Mersin International Music Festival was as follows:[3]