Adana’s governor invites Musk to Teknofest following his promise

Adana Governor Yavuz Selim Kosger Monday has extended an invitation to Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, to participate in the 10th edition of Teknofest in Adana as the tech tycoon had promised to attend Teknofest earlier.

The 10th annual Teknofest will be held at Adana Sakirpasa Airport from Oct. 2–6 this year.

“We will be in Adana with the family from Oct. 2–6. Let’s plan our schedules according to Teknofest,” Teknofest Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar announced on social media.

For Teknofest 2024, a record 1,630,000 competitors and 788,161 teams have registered for the technology competitions.

‘One of the world’s most important events’

Adana Governor Yavuz Selim Kosger spoke to journalists about Teknofest, highlighting the high participation levels. “We will have a Teknofest with over a million competitors. Teknofest is perhaps one of the most important festivals and competitions in the world in this regard,” Kosger said.

Governor Kosger emphasized Adana’s reputation as a city of festivals.

“We anticipate over 1.5 million participants. Adana is already one of the leading cities in Turkey for festivals. So far, we have had immense participation and enthusiasm in all the festivals we organized, including the Taste Festival, the Orange Blossom Carnival, and the Culture Route Festival. Despite the large crowds and participants from outside, Adana’s daily security issues have even decreased. We expect to hold this festival with the same high level of success and with no security incidents,” he added.

‘We are expecting Elon Musk’

Governor Kosger mentioned that they expect SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to attend Teknofest as an invited guest. “Selcuk Bayraktar and his family will travel to Adana. Teknofest and the T3 Foundation’s top management will also be here. There will be many impressive performances, including those by the Turkish Stars and other air shows and competitions. Elon Musk promised to attend last year, and we are looking forward to his arrival,” he said.

Last year, Musk shared a post on his X account (formerly Twitter) featuring images from Teknofest and thanking President Erdogan for the invitation. After meeting with Erdogan in New York, Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, confirmed that he would attend the event next year.

“Congratulations to all the teams competing in Teknofest! Thank you, President Erdogan, for the invitation. I look forward to attending in person next year and discussing further opportunities for investment in Türkiye,” Musk stated in his post.

This year’s Teknofest promises to be a landmark event, drawing global attention and showcasing the innovative spirit of Türkiye’s technology sector.

“We will be in Adana with the family from Oct 2–6. Let’s plan our schedules according to Teknofest.” For Teknofest 2024, a record 1,630,000 competitors and 788,161 teams have registered for the technology competitions.