In a world constantly chasing the new, few cultural events manage to celebrate both continuity and reinvention quite like the Athens Epidaurus Festival—a cornerstone of Greek and European cultural life that is not only a celebration of artistic mastery but also a living reflection of Greece’s deep historical and creative roots.
As the curtain rises on the 2025 edition, the festival celebrates its 70th anniversary and reaffirms its identity as a nexus where the ancient and the avant garde converge, a bridge between memory and imagination, offering audiences experiences that are both timeless and timely.
Founded in 1955, over the past seven decades, the Athens Epidaurus Festival has evolved into one of Europe’s most esteemed cultural events. Held annually during the summer months, it hosts a diverse variety of performances, from classical theater and opera to modern dance and avant garde installations. The festival’s venues are as iconic as its performances, with events staged at renowned historic sites, including the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in the Peloponnese and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, and other select locations.
A Festival Born from Revival
The Athens Epidaurus Festival was born of a broader effort to position Greece as a global cultural destination in the aftermath of World War II. The idea was simple, yet bold: bring ancient Greek drama back to the theater for which it was written—the spectacular open air Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus—while also reviving the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens as a major stage for classical music, opera, and ballet.
What emerged from this effort wasn’t just a festival, but a movement. Over the years, the Athens Epidaurus Festival became a pillar of modern Greek identity and a showcase for the global arts scene, hosting legends such as Maria Callas, Mikis Theodorakis, Rudolf Nureyev, and Leonard Bernstein. Today, it stands as one of the longest-running performing arts festivals in Europe and a testament to Greece’s cultural diplomacy.
A Theatrical Homecoming
At the heart of the festival lies the Epidaurus program, dedicated to ancient Greek drama, staged at the world-famous 14,000-seat, 4th-century-BCE theatre. Known for its near-perfect acoustics and architectural beauty, Epidaurus serves not only as a performance venue but also as a powerful symbol of the continuity of civilization and storytelling.
The 2025 program opens with Antigone, directed by acclaimed German director Ulrich Rasche, whose stark, minimalist interpretations of Greek tragedy have earned praise throughout Europe. His approach—featuring a massive, rotating iron stage—transforms the chorus into a mechanized, almost ritualistic presence, a reflection of fate grinding inexorably forward. It’s a modern take on a timeless story of resistance, morality, and civil disobedience that resonates as deeply today as it did in antiquity.
Athens Reimagined: A Festival City
While Epidaurus pays homage to Greece’s classical heritage, Athens hosts the festival’s more experimental side. From industrial warehouses to ancient ruins—not least the majestic Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the foot of the Acropolis—venues across the city are transformed each summer into spaces of wonder and discovery. Theater, opera, music, dance, and other hybrid forms of performance come together in programs that celebrate diversity, innovation, and important contemporary voices.
A Global Audience, a Greek Soul
Though deeply rooted in Greek culture, the Athens Epidaurus Festival speaks an international language. Its audience is remarkably diverse, with visitors from around the world making the pilgrimage each summer to see works that connect the past with the present. Sur-titled performances, bilingual programs, and English-language guided events make the experience accessible and enriching for global travelers.
Moreover, the festival increasingly serves as a hub for cross-cultural collaboration. In 2025, joint productions with institutions such as Berlin’s Schaubühne and Paris’s Théâtre de la Ville demonstrate the power of artistic diplomacy, even at a time of geopolitical complexity.
Business Meets Culture
The festival also provides a compelling platform for public-private partnerships in culture. It is supported by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the City of Athens, and various cultural institutions, and it is sponsored by leading businesses and charitable foundations. In recent years, the Athens Epidaurus Festival has shown how investment in the arts not only fosters cultural prestige but generates significant economic value, boosting tourism, supporting local creative economies, and enhancing Greece’s global image.
For business leaders and investors, the festival is a case study in cultural infrastructure with enduring return on investment. As interest in experiential tourism and cultural branding grows, the Athens Epidaurus Festival remains a jewel in Greece’s soft power arsenal.
A Living Legacy
Seventy years since its establishment, the Athens Epidaurus Festival continues to redefine what a cultural festival can be. It honors its legacy without being beholden to it. It cultivates audiences as much as it cultivates art. And it does so in the most magical of settings—where history is not just remembered, but relived.
As Greece stands proudly at the crossroads of its ancient past and dynamic future, the Athens Epidaurus Festival serves as a living testament to the enduring power of art and creativity. Whether seated under the stars in Epidaurus or immersed in an experimental work in downtown Athens, audiences this summer will become part of a story seven decades in the making—and far from finished.
Athens Epidaurus Festival 2025
The 70th Anniversary Edition
Running from June 27 to August 23, the 70th anniversary edition of the festival features a fantastic variety of performances that honor its storied past while also looking ahead to the future. Under the direction of Katerina Evangelatos, the festival’s Artistic Director, the 2025 program emphasizes inclusivity, innovation, and a deep respect for cultural heritage.
Highlights include:
Sophocles’ Antigone: Directed by renowned German director Ulrich Rasche, this production will inaugurate the festival at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Rasche’s interpretation is anticipated to offer a fresh perspective on the classic tragedy, utilizing a motorized revolving stage to enhance the narrative’s dynamism.
Subset Festival: A segment dedicated to contemporary music, featuring artists such as Lyra Pramuk and Ryoji Ikeda. These performances aim to bridge the gap between traditional compositions and modern soundscapes.
GRAPE (Greek Agora of Performance): This initiative spotlights emerging Greek artists, providing them with a platform to present innovative works that challenge and inspire audiences.
To find out more about the Athens Epidaurus Festival and to access the full program, visit the festival’s website at aefestival.gr.
