The district and municipality Süleymanpaşa was created at the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation from the former central district of Tekirdağ.[4][5] The name Süleymanpaşa refers to the Ottoman prince Süleyman, the first commander of Turkish troops in Thrace in the 14th century.
The district municipality has been organizing "International Tekirdağ Cherry Festival" (Turkish: Uluslararası Tekirdağ Kiraz Festivali) each year four days long in the first or second week of June.[7][8] Established under name "Cherry Jolly" ("Kiraz Cümbüşü") n 1962, the event was renamed to "Cherry Festivity" ("Kiraz Bayramı")in 1964. In later years, it included cultural and entertainment programs and became traditional.[8] In 2020 and 2021, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.[9][10] The festival features parades, illuminated processions, exhibitions, shows, night concerts, a cherry contest, a sailing contest, a festival beauty contest, picnics etc.[8]
