Athens Festival

Athens and Epidaurus Festival promises you magical summer nights, full of music, theatre and dance! Over the last 50 years, the Festival has hosted some of the leading lights of music - such as Mitropoulos, Callas, Rostropovich, Pavarotti, Leonidas Kavakos and Dimitris Sgouros, theatre - Rondiris, Koun, Streller, Peter Hall, Noh theatre, Bunraku puppet theatre, the Peking Opera and dance - Balanchine, Pina Bausch, Nureyev, Fonteyn, Martha Graham and Alicia Alonso.

The Festival?s programme involves open-air theatre, opera, classical music and dance at various locations in Athens such as the Athens Concert Hall, Technopolis, Peiraios 260, Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre, BIOS and the Benaki Museum. However the festival?s top venue is the 2nd century BC Odeon of Herodes Atticus, formed out of the rocky southern slope of Acropolis Hill. Watch an ancient Greek tragedy, opera or ballet against the magic backdrop of the Acropolis.

Ancient Greek drama is staged at the Epidaurus Ancient Theatre, a two-hour drive southwest of Athens. Enjoy a performance as the ancient Greeks would do in this outstanding architectural monument known for its unique acoustics. Thanks to this festival the Epidaurus Theatre has seen the rebirth of Ancient drama more than half a century ago. Performances are in Greek but in the programme you will find summaries in other languages too and English surtitles for the Festival?s productions. It?s one of those places you need to visit while in Greece!