Stones Speak 
The works of ancient Greek philosophers are presented in three languages (Greek, English, French) in the form of theatre events held at major museums and archaeological sites in Athens!  

Hours and dates: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11:00-13:00
Where: Major museums & archaeological sites
Tickets: Free



A tribute to cello
Inspired by the internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will perform at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on June 30, Young Greek Classics will feature the work of young, already accomplished Greek cellists and other talented musicians, in what will prove to be a fascinating and high-quality program.

Dates & Hours: July 1st, 3rd, 4th at 21:00
Tickets: € 5
Where: Athens Conservatoire 



Kypseli – New Kids on the Block
Pantelis Flatsousis undertakes a unique project linked to this year’s Festival’s tribute to children. Based on narratives by children living in Kypseli, this performance will shed light on the everyday life and history of this neighborhood through the eyes of children of various ethnic 

Dates & Hours: From July 1st until July 4th at 20:30 
Where: 15th High School of Kypseli 
Tickets provided on a first-come-first-served basis.



Against Freedom
Vassilis Mavrogeorgiou, a popular actor, writer and director, chose this play for its subversive style, which at times reads as a contemporary version of the Theatre of the Absurd. Mavrogeorgiou focuses on the characters’ sense of loneliness and desolation, the sense that humanity bids farewell to the old world.

Dates & Hours: July 2nd, 3rd, 4th at 21:00 & July 5th at 18:00
Where: Peiraios 260
Tickets: From  € 5



Love Story
What kind of stories are we willing to listen to? What kind of stories move us? Why is it that viewers who will weep when watching movies will remain unmoved in the face of real-life human suffering? This seven-channel video-installation by the South African artist Candice Breitz interrogates the mechanisms of identification and empathy.

Dates & Hours: From May 30th until July 7th at 19:00
Where: Peiraios 260
Tickets: Free

The future of contemporary dance on stage: a National School of Dance and Athens & Epidaurus Festival collaboration involving internationally acclaimed Greek choreographers and young dancers, dance students and graduates of the National School of Dance (KSOT).

Dates & Hours: From July 4th until July 7th at 21:00

Where: Peiraios 260

Tickets: Free admission with tickets from the Festival main box office

Stories From A Parallel Reality
Men and women of all age groups, former drug addicts, take us along on a tour through public spaces, employing sound narratives and documents, charting and mapping out the city in their own, unique way. 

Dates & Hours: From May 3rd until July 9th at 20:00

Where: ΚΕΤΗΕA Rehabilitation Centre

Tickets: Free 

The internationally acclaimed conductor Riccardo Muti returns to Athens and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the first time in 11 years with The Roads of Friendship. Muti, one of the greatest conductors in the world, has numerous awards to his name and conducted major orchestras, among which the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Sophocles’ masterpiece and arguably the ancient Greek tragedy par excellence begins with a mystery. The city of Thebes is afflicted with the plague. King Oedipus wants to know why this is the case.

In 2011, the artist Pavlos Tsakonas was inspired by Albrech Dürer’s popular 1508 pen-and-ink drawing Praying Hands (German: Betende Hände), creating artwork at Peiraios street, near Omonia Square, that was massively appealing and interacted with its surroundings thanks to its dramatic style and monumental proportions.

This summer will see the first-ever collaboration between the Athens Festival and the Museum of Greek Children’s Art, one of the very few museums of its kind in the world!

 

 

Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides
One of Euripides’ late plays, it was written between 408 and 406 BC and presented posthumously at the Great Dionysia, where it won first prize. The tragedy focuses on the fateful decision of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces, to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia.

Dates & Hours: July 19 & 20 at 21:00
Where: Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
Tickets: From €5



Electra / Orestes
This performance marks the first time ever that the oldest active theatre company in the world will perform at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus.

Dates & Hours: July 26 & 27 at 21:30
Where: Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
Tickets: From € 10



Picasso and Antiquity. Line and Clay
In the exhibition Picasso and Antiquity. Line and Clay, rare Picasso works, depicting sea creatures, animals, human figures, mythological episodes, scenes inspired from ancient tragedies and comedies, find themselves juxtaposed with ancient artifacts, thus creating a true “Divine Dialogue.” 

Dates: From May 20th until October 20th at 10:00
Where: Museum of Cycladic Art 
Tickets: Visit cycladic.gr

Opening Hours: Monday - Wednesday - Friday - Saturday: 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 10:00 - 20:00
Sunday: 11:00 - 17:00
Tuesday: closed

After many months of anticipation the Street Food and Tunes returns on Tuesday, July 2nd with a bar Italia party by the sea, which will mark the beginning of a great summer!

No stress, sipping a refreshing cocktail, enjoying the sea, listening to music you love... that's what summer is all about!

So on July 2nd let's imagine we're in beautiful Italy, with delicious pizzas, pasta, risotto, fresh bubbly drinks, and traditional gelato!

Street Food Menu:

Vera Pizza Napoletana
1. Margherita: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan cheese and pecorino 5.90 €
2. Diavola: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, spicy salami Napoli, nduja 6,50 €
3. Carbonara (Bianca): cream, egg, ham, pancetta, grated parmesan cheese and pecorino 6.50 €

Pasta (Visitors can choose between Penne / Orecchiette / Strozzapreti)
1. Napoletana: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes 6.10 €
2. Pollo e Funghi: chicken, ribbed mushrooms, truffle oil, white wine, cream, onion, garlic, thyme 6,60 €

Risotto
1. Risotto ai Funghi: risotto with a variety of mushrooms, parmesan, truffle oil 6,10 €

Cocktail / Birra / Vino
1. Aperol Spritz: Aperol, Prosecco, soda 7.5 €
2. Sangria Bianca: white wine, yuzu lemon syrup, cherry plum syrup, triple sec, grapefruit juice, raspberries 6,50 €
3. Pinot Grigio, Cantine Pirovano Garganega White (glass 180ml) 4 €
4. Birra Moretti L 'Autentica (400ml) 4 €

Gelato
Ice cream  3 €

The Funky Gourmet summer Pop-Up at Costa Navarino brings a 2 Michelin Star dining experience in Messinia, Peloponnese.

This summer, Funky Gourmet will operate in the stunning location of the brand new, earth-sheltered clubhouse at the Navarino Bay resort area in Costa Navarino, for 6 weeks only, from July 8th to August 17th.

Overlooking the historic bay with the spectacular sunset vistas, our multi-awarded Chefs Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nikos Roussos will showcase a 2-hour gastronomic journey, offering a degustation menu of Avant Garde Messinian–Greek cuisine.

The Chefs saw this partnership with Costa Navarino as an opportunity to study the Messinian food culture. Local ingredients and traditions will be brought to life, combining the high-quality raw materials of the region with avant-garde cooking techniques and a unique presentation, transforming the guests’ dinner into an unconventional culinary experience.

The wine list will be a tribute to Greek wines, while an exclusive wine pairing will be also available for the wine lovers.

This unique experience will come alive with colors, aromas and flavors, composing a delicious canvas that will appeal to all senses and elevate the Messinian gastronomy to new sensory heights!

The internationally acclaimed conductor Riccardo Muti returns to Athens and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the first time in 11 years with The Roads of Friendship. This annual musical pilgrimage, curated by Ravenna Festival since 1997, has taken Muti and an ensemble of Italian musicians to historic cities of the past and the present, where they have performed together with local musicians. On each occasion they have also performed in Ravenna, thus strengthening the bond of friendship through the universal language of music. After concerts in cities as diverse as Sarajevo, Beirut, Jerusalem, Cairo and Tehran, the project has chosen Greece, the cradle of Western culture, as its next destination Athens is connected to Ravenna by the Mediterranean Sea, a body of water whose vocation is to unite rather than to separate, and by the common Byzantine ties.

Muti, one of the greatest conductors in the world, has numerous awards to his name and conducted major orchestras, among which the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also enjoys a long and close collaboration with the Salzburg Festival.

Under Muti’s baton, Italian and Greek musicians and choristers will collectively present Beethoven’s ever-popular Symphony No. 9, appealing to the sentiment of brotherhood that is the hallmark of Ode to Joy. 

For more events of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival click HERE! 

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XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor Of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival

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Line up:
20:00 | Matina Sous Peau Dj set
21:15 | Minor Project
22:30 | Katerine Duska

A few months after her participation in the Eurovision song contest, Katerine Duska, who drew all eyes to her and won the hearts of us all, will appear on stage for the first time at this big summer festival, for a long-awaited live performance! The full moon sky and the girl with the “One in a million”voice, the ultimate soulful timbre, and the radio hit “Better Love” are expected to cause nothing less than a stir at Technopolis on the night of July 17. Set to take us on an ethereal musical journey to remember, the Greek-Canadian singer and songwriter, who has some enviable collaborations with internationally acclaimed artists under her belt, including LP, Tom Baxter, Yasmine Hamdan, Oddisee, and Kadebostany, will perform her own songs as well as popular and favourite cover versions. Technopolis’ illuminated chimneys and the perfectly round moon seem to be –and most definitely will be– the perfect setting!

Earlier the same night, the band Minor Project with its indie-oriented crossover repertoire consisting of songs with both English and Greek lyrics will add to the amazing musical combo of the Full Moon Fiesta. Minor Project’s songs give off a nostalgic cinematic vibe that brings summer images and carefree days to mind. All of us got the tune of the dreamy “In Colors” stuck in our heads at some point, thus explaining why it remained in the top 3 on the Shazam and itunesGR charts for so long! The band has teamed up with many distinguished artists and takes us on a trip out on the sea with songs such as “Ekdromi”, the result of a special collaboration with Dimitra Galani, and “From Folegandros to Kos”. Minor Project have become a firm favourite with radio listeners and audiences who have seen them perform live and they will be joining us this summer night at Technopolis to talk to us about our very favourite colors and unexpected journeys.

The fiesta will open with a super groovy dj set by Matina Sous Peau who returns to Technopolis after the unforgettable Let’s be late! dance event that took place in March at the Industrial Gas Museum. She promises once again to get us singing and moving along her creative mashups and our beloved dance hits. The DJ/music producer, who has managed to win over the Greek audience at jam-packed parties taking place across Athens, could not be absent from the ultimate summer event! Sweet summer vibes, full moon, music, your friends, and... a super festive mood are waiting for you at the Full Moon Fiesta! Unless you are already on an island, you can’t miss it!

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In order to honour the International Day of Nelson Mandela, the South African Embassy in Athens along with Aspen Greece and the Friends of South Africa, will contribute 67 minutes of voluntarily work at the Primary School of Agia Marina in Nea Makri. A school that was deeply affected by the second most deadly wildfire of the 21st century, taking 102 lives.

The day Nelson Mandela was born, July 18th, was announced as Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009 by the United Nations. It recognizes the efforts of the former South African President on human rights and peace.

So every year, on July 18, people are encouraged to volunteer somewhere and help the community for at least 67 minutes. The number 67 represents the number of years that Nelson Mandela devoted fighting against any kind of oppression.

The playful character of the Pink Panther, the charming and mysterious James Bond, the cool private detective Peter Gunn, and the adrenaline-filled Tom Cruise back in the days when he was pulling off some “Missions Impossible” are being revived via compositions that bring to mind curiously half-open doors, small-time crooks, unsolved cases, and...hilarious blunders. On Thursday, July 18, the Athens Big Band, under the artistic direction of Sami Amiris, will put together a unique concert program taking us from the golden era of big bands through today. Accompanying scores for popular works of the Seventh Art and original compositions by, among others, Duke Ellington, Sammy Nestico, Ηorace Silver, John Clayton, Henri Mancini, and Matt Harris will call to mind all-time great movie scenes and beloved characters.

As it goes without saying that the love stories on the big screen have given us some of the greatest pieces of music of all times, an emotionally charged atmosphere is to be anticipated also on Friday, July 19, when the City of Athens Symphony Orchestra will perform the best movie soundtracks of the world cinema. Where do I begin? From the iconic love song from “Love Story” and “My Heart Will Go On”, the theme song from the Oscar-winning film “Titanic”, which we have all found ourselves quietly singing once or twice, to the dramatic ballet “Les amants de Teruel” by Mikis Theodorakis. Orchestral excerpts transferring us to the setting of Les Misérables and the years of Attik when the film “Hirokrotimata” was made, will be performed in new arrangements for symphony orchestra by Eleftherios Kalkanis, Louiza Antypa, Ilias Aggelou, and Giannis Tavlas with the participation of two up-and-coming soloists, the soprano Vanessa Kalkani and the tenor Stavros Salabasopoulos, under the instructions of musical director Eleftherios Kalkanis.

Two summer nights filled with cinema, atmospheric melodies and sheer emotion! The Orchestra Nights are just around the corner, free to attend! Are you gonna miss out on this one?

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In Athens this August?

Join Portes Magazine editors for a unique book launch!

Numbered, and printed in Greece on quality matte paper that teases the touch and perfectly matches the publication’s dreamy pastel tones, Portes Magazine's 100+ pages journey readers, perfectly weaving the present with the past through curated stories and select images highlighting the interesting, innovative and inspirational. 

The publication’s minimal, yet sophisticated design pays tribute to the beauty of ancient and modern Greece through articles, photography, poetry, recipes and crafts. 

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, opens its "home" to the general public and invites you to get to know the Propylaea, one of the most iconic places of remembrance of the Greek capital. Part of Athenian Trilogy, the most well-known and important Neoclassical buildings’ cluster in the city centre,the building of Propylaea founded in 1839, in drawings of the Danish architect Hans Christian Hansen.

Its halls constituted spaces for education, association, and protest. In its premises you can find the Greek Parliament, the National Library, numerous museums and workshops. In the interior and its precinct you can visit a series of ceremonial events (statues and column erections, anniversaries celebrations, etc.), while in the city geography, it constituted the eminent place of action, demonstrations and mergers.

The building decoration, with more characteristic mural in the interior façade of Propylaea, is one of the most important iconographic programs of the Greek 19th century. The architecture and painting served a narrative framework that closely connected the historical periods of Greek national history, while the sculpture program focused on recent history: Statues of important persons of Modern Greek history and columns of fallen in wars, works of Greek sculptures.

The tours include acquaintance with the Athenian trilogy and the visit to the Propylaea building. The tour duration is about 60' and will be made by Art historians of the Department of History and Archaeology , Michalis Giochalas and Pavlos Gkoygiannos, under the scientific supervision of the Associate professor of history of art in the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Athens Dimitris Pavlopoulos.

For the tours there is price of 3€ for adults, 2 € for students or unemployed, 1€ for children (up to 6 years old) and for persons with disabilites the entrance is free of charge. (includes special information brochure).

For reservations visit the Guided Tour Calender here.