Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2022 Program is Announced 

The full program for the highly anticipated Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2022, was announced yesterday, Monday, March 28- with the Greek capital’s annual summer event once again featuring a great range of music, theatre, dance, performances, cinema, workshops, panel discussions and parties. 

With 67 productions and 1900 artists from around the globe, the Festival is set to kick off on June 1 and run right through to August 20, 2022. 

The Athens and Epidaurus Festival is a highlight of the Greek summer calendar and one of the oldest continuously running festivals in Europe. Spanning 66 years, 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 organisations, attracting large audiences from around the world.

Insights Greece - Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2022 Program is Announced 
Performances will take place at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Greek and international productions, partnerships and shows by foreign artists will be included in the 2022 program, which will be staged at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, the little theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, and Peiraios 260, announced Artistic Director of the Festival, Katerina Evangelatos. 

“Today was a special day for us all, as we succeeded in meeting each other again in person after two years of unprecedented difficulties and challenges, to share with you everything that we have prepared, to remember remarkable events from the past and dream for the future that is ahead,” said Evangelatos as she presented the new program to the ministers of Culture and Sports, friends and partners of the Festival, various artists and the Press. 

Some of the highlights include the big Greek National Opera production Rigoletto, Giuseppe Verdi’s dark masterpiece, which will be conducted by Lukas Karytinos and directed by Artistic Director Katerina Evangelatos; as well as Tosca, which is an opera classic that will be performed by prominent Greek and international soloists and has been chosen as the Festival’s huge season finale. 

Music performances will include a concert by famous Greek singer George Dalaras; works by Beethoven, Rimsky Kosakov will be performed by the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra along with Zoi Tsokanou and Daniel Lozakovich; Dimitris Papadimitriou, arguably one of the greatest contemporary Greek composers, will present a selection of songs from his rich body of work; and Maria Farantouri will invite audiences to enjoy a magical evening in memory of the late Mikis Theodorakis, as a tribute to his invaluable legacy.

For those lucky enough to be in Athens over the summer, make sure that you check out the annual Festival, which truly is a magical experience. 

Ticket booking for all venues will begin online on Friday, May 14th, at 13:00, for performances scheduled to take place in June, July, and August. 

Book your tickets at:

aefestival.grtickets.aefestival.gr | ticketservices.gr and the Public stores.

Images by Thomas Daskalakis ©

Athens’ Historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Athens’ famous Odeon of Herodes Atticus has been staging musicals and theatrical performances for over two thousand years.

Set on the southwest slope of the Acropolis, it’s one of the Greek capital’s most striking historic monuments and one of the world’s most stunning open-air theatres.

Insights Greece - Athens’ Historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus
One of the world’s oldest functioning theatres

Featuring a three-story stone front wall, the theatre wasn’t always open-air; the original façade of arches was closed in by a wooden and tiled roof and was known as the most prestigious Roman-era theatre in ancient Athens and a landmark of the city, even in ancient times.

The roof burnt down around a century after it was built and its condition declined over the centuries, however, performances and public events still took place- even during the German occupation. 

Herodion was renovated in 1950, with the audience seats and the stage being restored using Pentelic marble; taking the capacity to around 5,000.  

Since its renovation, Herodion became the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May through October each year and it has also hosted some of the world’s leading performers – from home-grown legends including Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hatzidakis, Maria Callas and Nana Mouskouri to international stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and Frank Sinatra and pop icons Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Elton John and Sting.  

Insights Greece - Athens’ Historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Renovated in 1950

Today you can attend the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, a range of musical events and classical tragedies at Herodion. Under the Athenian-lit sky, you will be able to enjoy a fabulous acoustic performance. Events are held from May through to early October when the theatre is open and if you are in Athens during this time- and there is a performance taking place – we highly recommend you book yourself a ticket as it will definitely be a cultural experience you will never forget! 

Getting there

The Herodes Atticus theatre is located at the base of the southwestern slope of the Acropolis, on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. It is around a 750m walk (10 minutes) from the Acropolis metro station (red line). 

Tip: Photos (with or without flash) or video recording by phone or other devices (without prior permission) are not permitted during a performance.

Main Image by Eric Domas ©

Sting Performing Live in Athens this Week

17-time Grammy Award-winning composer and singer-songwriter Sting will perform at the iconic Odeon of Herodes Atticus, beneath the slopes of the ancient Acropolis on Thursday, September 30, and Friday, October 1, 2021. 

Throughout his illustrious career, Sting has sold close to 100 million albums from his work as the lead singer of The Police and as a solo artist; and now he returns to Athens to perform two concerts, which are part of his worldwide “My Songs Tour,” that began in the United States in 2019. 

Insights Greece - Sting Performing Live in Athens this Week
Sting will be turning 70 in Athens on Saturday

Joining Sting on stage at both shows is his musician son, Joe Summer, frontman of the rock band Fiction Plane; as well as a set of talented musicians including Dominic Miller (guitar), Josh Freese (drums), Rufus Miller (guitar), Kevon Webster (keyboard), Shane Sager (harmonica) with Melissa Musique and Gene Noble (backing vocals).

Sting is arriving in Greece from Italy, having performed at the Teatro Antico in Taormina, Sicily on Monday evening; and now fans in Athens can expect to be taken on a “musical journey through time” as the “My Songs Tour” features his most popular hits, written throughout Sting’s career both with The Police and as a solo artist. 

Sting will be belting out songs including “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” as well as “Fields of Gold,” “Desert Rose,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You” and “Brand New Day.” 

The singer’s concerts in Athens will be extra special as they will be the final performances of his worldwide tour for 2021 (they will start again in March 2022) and it also coincides with Sting’s milestone 70th birthday on Saturday, October 2nd. 

Tickets (which range from 57.20 € to 275 €) are on sale now online at: highpriority and ticketmaster, or by phone on: 210 893 8111.

A: Herodes Atticus Theatre, Dionysiou Areopagitou, Acropolis, Athens

Monica Bellucci to Play Maria Callas at Herodus in Athens 

Renowned Italian actress Monica Bellucci will play the iconic Greek soprano singer Maria Callas at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens on September 21-23, 2021.

The highly acclaimed production of “Maria Callas: Letters and Memories,” is directed by Tom Volf and based on his book and film “Maria by Callas.” It premiered in Paris in November 2020 and is about to make its debut in Athens for three nights only.

Insights Greece - Monica Bellucci to Play Maria Callas at Herodus in Athens 
Bellucci in the role of Maria Callas

Having premiered in Paris, at The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, in March of 2020 and receiving rave reviews, the 80-minute performance will now take place at the historic venue of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, on the slopes of the Acropolis Hill.

Monica Bellucci will be accompanied by the Camerata-Orchestra of the Friends of Music, under the direction of the leading Greek conductor, George Petrou; and a piano which belonged to Maria Callas, a gift from Aristotle Onassis to her, will also accompany the long-awaited appearances of Monica Bellucci in Greece.

The show, which is presented with Greek subtitles is based on the book by Tom Wolf, in which he collected more than 350 unpublished letters from Callas, written by her during 30 years (1946-1977).

About Maria Callas 

The internationally renowned Maria Callas captivated audiences with her iconic opera performances, showing off her vocal range in productions like ‘Tosca’ and ‘Norma.’

Insights Greece - Monica Bellucci to Play Maria Callas at Herodus in Athens 
Maria Callas in New York

Callas was born in New York City in 1923 and began taking classical piano lessons when she was seven years old. She made her professional debut with the Royal Opera of Athens in Boccaccio and soon won her first major role with Tosca. Eventually garnering international acclaim, Callas made her Italian opera debut at the Verona Arena in 1947, later followed by her 1954 American debut in Norma. 

Over the next few years, under the management of her husband, Callas continued to perform in Florence and Verona to critical acclaim. The performance was a triumph and was seen as a signature role. In 1956, she, at last, had the opportunity to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in her home city of New York, but in 1958 was fired by director Rudolf Bing. Callas’ marriage had also begun to unravel. Callas and Meneghini split at the end of the decade, during which time she was having an affair with famous Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

During the 1960s, the quality and frequency of her performances waned. On September 16, 1977, Callas, aged 54, died in Paris of a heart attack. 

Purchase tickets for the performance here