Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, the first International Istanbul Music Festival, the flagship of the International Istanbul Festivals, took place between June 15-July 15, 1973 originally under the title Istanbul Festival. From its inception it has included in its programmes the finest examples of artistic creativity in the fields of classic music, classical ballet and contemporary dance, opera, folklore, jazz/pop, cinema, drama and visual arts from both Turkey and abroad, as well as seminars, conferences and lectures.

After the separation, in 1986, of the Film and then the Theater, Jazz festivals and the Biennial as distinct events, the name of the International Istanbul Festival was changed to International Istanbul Music Festival in 1994.

Jazz fans in Turkey will always remember the 8th of July 1984 when Chick Corea and Steve Kujala performed at the Atatürk Cultural Center as part of the İstanbul Festival. Marking the beginning of things to come, the concert proved that jazz should play a larger role in the İstanbul Festival, and that the musical spectrum of the Festival should be extended to cover many other musical styles.