The Athens and Epidaurus Festival is an annual arts and theater event held in summer in both cities of Athens and Epidaurus. It has been a cultural highlight of the country for over 60 years, attracting numerous artists and performers, as well as thousands of visitors. The program includes a wide range of theatrical productions, art installations and performances, dance and musical acts. The main activities are held at the Odeon Herodes Atticus theater and the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, which have remarkably good acoustics, as most ancient stages do.
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About Epidaurus and its history
This noteworthy artistic event first took place in a small village of Epidaurus, and then spread to the capital of Greece. Almost 2,000 years ago a majestic theater stage was erected here to hold the best Greek tragedies and comedies of that era. All the talented actors and actresses of the world performed there.
The theater is said to host healing music, dance, singing, and dramatic performances in worship of Asclepius, the ancient Greek God of medicine, and was a part of his sanctuary. The Sanctuary in Epidaurus was one of the main healing centers in Greece, and probably where the science of modern medicine was born. There were monumental buildings to worship Asclepius and accommodate healing needs of people from all over Greece and the Roman Empire. In the course of extensive construction plans between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, a large amphitheater was built to host theatrical and musical performances. Its perfectly executed tripartite structure and geometry provides excellent acoustics.
Unfortunately for people living in the Middle Ages and later, the famous stage was buried under a thick layer of soil until it was excavated in 1881. Panayis Kavvadias, a renowned Greek archaeologist, found the giant theater, well-preserved in its initial form, under layers of earth, almost by accident, and unearthed and restored it in just six years. After a slight restoration in the middle of the 20th century, the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus was opened to the public, and it now holds many plays from the ancient times – the ones that were performed there initially. Epidaurus is worth visiting even if you are not a big fan of dramatic art, because it is one of the best-preserved Greek monuments.
Since 1955, the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus has been hosting the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, which presents numerous theater, dance, and music artists, acclaimed in Greece and worldwide, attracting large audiences from around the world.
You can visit the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus and historical landmarks around at one of our tours.
Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2022
In 2022, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival will kick off on 1 June and will last right till 20 August. The festival invites artistic groups from all over the world to stage plays by famous ancient playwrights, adding commentary and allusions to the modern world. Although most plays are in Greek, it doesn’t spoil the aesthetic impression from the shows.
When the festival reopens to live audiences in 2022, Patti Smith, Diane Krall, French Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, and award-winning composer Max Richter will take stage at the historic theater of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus under the Acropolis. Other performances will include the Greek National Opera, George Dalaras, and Maria Farantouri among others.
At the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, eight shows will be staged from June to August, twice a week, with plays by Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus.
