Olympos Festival
The Olympos Festival ( Greek Φεστιβάλ Ολύμπου Festival Olymbou ) is a significant cultural event in Greece. It is the largest event of its kind in northern Greece and takes place annually in July and August. The aim is to offer both the local population and tourists culturally high-quality entertainment and thus promote tourism in the region and the contact between different cultures.
organizer
The organizer is the Olympos Festival Organization (OR.FE.O), ( Οργανισμό Φεστιβάλ Ολύμπου [0Ρ.ΦΕ.0] ) based in Katerini. It is a non-profit organization that promotes Greek and international culture and stimulates tourism in Northern Greece. It is represented by a nine-person board that is elected every three years.
OR.FE.O works together with the state theaters in Athens and Thessaloniki. Contacts with private theaters and artist organizations are also maintained. It is also important to expand and maintain the network of foreign artists and cultural organizations abroad. This creates combinations, such as the performance of the Swan Lake ballet at the 2016 festival, where professional dancers from Russia performed together with students from local ballet schools.
The festival is financed mainly through donations and the sale of tickets. In the years 2011 to 2013 the event was financed by the European Union. Occasionally the Greek state helps to finance the festival.
history
The first Olympos festival took place in 1972. In the summer months it is a magnet for locals and tourists. The Olympos Festival has been cooperating with a host country since 2010. The aim is to deepen the friendship between Greece and the host country and to present its cultural characteristics. Some events of the festival are therefore reserved for artists from this country. The film is increasingly used as a medium to bring the culture of the host country closer to the audience.
The host countries (since 2010)
- 2010 France
- 2011 Spain
- 2012 Russia
- 2013 Norway
- 2014 Austria, Germany and Switzerland
- 2015 Morocco
- 2016 Romania
- 2017 Cyprus
- 2018 Czech Republic
- 2019 Israel
- 2020 No host country due to the Corona crisis
The program
The program includes:
- Appearances by national and international artists such as B. Milva , Haris Alexiou , Demis Roussos , Nana Mouskouri , Goran Bregović , Luz Casal and many others.
- ballet
- Classical concerts
- Classic comedies and tragedies from the Hellenistic era.
- theatre
- Choirs
- Traditional Greek music
- Modern music performances
- Free tours of the archaeological parks of Dion and Leibethra.
- Archaeological information events with specific main topics or reference to new finds in the excavation sites.
Investigations by the Technical University of Katerinis showed that the audience is above average, consists mainly of women and that the regular catchment area from which the visitors arrive extends from Thessaloniki via Larissa to Kozani .
Performance locations and their historical significance
- Dion , Greek theater. It comes from the Hellenistic era. The Bacchae of Euripides premiered here around 2,400 years ago .
- Leibethra , archaeological park. The singer and poet Orpheus is said to have lived here.
- Pydna , archaeological site. Here lost in 168 BC BC the Macedonian king Perseus waged the decisive battle against the Roman invaders.
- Platamonas Castle . A building from Byzantine times, erected on the hill on which the location of the ancient city of Herakleion is believed.
- Byzantine Church of the Holy Mother, Kontariotissa. The church was built around 1000 years ago on existing, much older, foundations.
Other venues are: the amphitheater in the park of Litochoro , the Olymp National Park information center in Litochoro and the center of mosaic art in Dion.
source
Web links
- Olympos Festival ( Φεστιβάλ Ολύμπου ). Retrieved June 11, 2018 .
- The Olympus Festival: A Summit of Art and Culture. Retrieved June 11, 2018 .
Remarks
- ↑ Address: Santaroza str. 1, 60100 Katerini - Greece
- ↑ https://www.nt.gr/en/
- ↑ http://www.ntng.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&page=1