Athens Epidaurus Festival

The Athens Epidaurus Festival is Greece’s most important cultural organization and one of the oldest continuously running festivals in Europe. For more than 70 years (it was founded in 1955), the Festival has welcomed some of the greatest music, dance and theatre artists of the international and local scene, in collaboration with the most prestigious Greek and international organizations, attracting large audiences from all over the world. Until 2005, the festival was held exclusively at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.

In the summer of 2006, five brand new theater stages were inaugurated at the Peiraios 260 industrial venue, which has since become an important springboard for contemporary art. Artistic productions and site-specific performances are also presented at other venues in Attica and at various locations as part of the festival. Since September 2025, the Festival’s artistic director has been the stage director Michail Marmarinos, who succeeded Katerina Evangelatou (2019–2025). Expanding the international character of the Festival and supporting research in the field of performing arts for audience development were the two main goals of Katerina Evangelatou’s artistic direction.

Novel research initiatives are designed with an international outreach in mind, targeting both professionals and the general public in Greece and abroad. At the same time, artistic creation in theater, performance, music, dance, visual arts, playwriting, and publishing is actively encouraged, with the goal of not only presenting the works of talented local artists in Greece, but also promoting them abroad. The search for unconventional, alternative ways of presenting the festival venues is a key aspect of the festival’s new philosophy. With this in mind, the Festival’s artistic events will now also take place during the winter, expanding the summer program.