The dance figures performed with fire on the Seyhan River, their choreographies in the water globes and the fireworks show won the public's appreciation since its first years, and the plays are staged at the Sabancı Cultural Center in Adana and at the Sabancı University Performance Center in Istanbul.

The theater festival was started in 1998 with the initiative of philanthropist Sakıp Sabancı. The festival, which started as a national festival, was renamed the State Theaters - International Sabancı Theater Festival in 2005 with the cooperation of the Sabancı Foundation and the Ministry of Culture State Theaters.

Every year, on the opening night of the festival, which starts on March 27, World Theater Day, the Sakıp Sabancı Life Achievement Award is presented to a person who has contributed to the theater.