Foreign residents wearing eye-catching costumes swim and walk in the sea during New Year celebrations in Antalya’s Kas district, Türkiye, Jan. 2, 2026. (AA Photo)
January 03, 2026 10:11 AM GMT+03:00
Expatriates living in southern Türkiye marked the start of the new year with a long-running coastal tradition, as foreign residents in the district of Kas in Antalya took to the sea in festive costumes, turning a quiet winter shoreline into a lively scene.
Foreign residents wearing eye-catching costumes swim and walk in the sea during New Year celebrations in Antalya’s Kas district, Türkiye, Jan. 2, 2026. (AA Photo)
A New Year ritual by the Mediterranean
The event took place in the Kalkan neighborhood of Kas, a well-known Mediterranean coastal area popular with foreign residents. Around 50 British expatriates who live in the area gathered at the Muar location, a coastal spot close to Kalkan Beach, to carry out an activity they repeat every year in the first days of January.
Wearing eye-catching and playful costumes, the participants walked down to Kalkan Beach and went into the sea together, creating colorful scenes against the winter coastline. The activity unfolded in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, reflecting a community tradition rather than an organized festival.
Members of the expatriate community enter the Mediterranean in unusual costumes and then line up on the shore for a group photograph as part of a New Year tradition in southern Türkiye, Jan. 2, 2026. (AA Photo)
Community gathering draws local attention
As the expatriates carried out the sea dip, people on the shore watched the moment with interest.
Onlookers recorded the scene on their mobile phones, capturing the contrast between the cold season and the festive spirit created by the costumes and group energy.
January 03, 2026 10:11 AM GMT+03:00