Aeschylia Festival 2025, one of the most consistent festivals in the Greek territory, organized by the Municipality of Elefsina, with the support of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, turns fifty this year. The events begin on 31 August at the archaeological site of Elefsina and conclude on 28 September 2025. For the first time, the events are held at the renovated old IRIS paint factory, which has been transformed into a contemporary space of culture and expression.
This year’s programme includes theatrical and musical performances, concerts, film screenings, visual art exhibitions, and cultural proposals that highlight modern expression and creativity. 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture contributes to this year’s Aeschylia programme with the award‑winning performance “Tebas Land” by Sergio Blanco, directed by Vangelis Theodoropoulos.
The curtain of this year’s Aeschylia Festival 2025 rises on Sunday 31 August, with the emblematic work by Angelos Sikelianos, “The Last Orphic Dithyramb & The Spiritual March”, at the archaeological site of Elefsina which, as every year, hosts the Festival’s opening event.
“The Last Orphic Dithyramb” is a unique reconstruction of the lost Aeschylean drama “Vassarai.” It is staged together with The Spiritual March and The Sacred Way, iconic poems of Greek literature that highlight Sikelianos’s philosophical and anthropocentric dimension and his connection to Aeschylus’s work. Featuring tenor Nikolas Maraziotis (Greek National Opera), actors Dimitris Maziotis, Grigoris Freskos, and Aris Makris, original Orphic hymns translated by Andreas Zoulas, ancient lyre by Akis Tsagkos, with composition by Nikos Xanthoulis. The second half references the Promethean spirit through The Spiritual March, interpreted by Marios Frangoulis, and connects to Elefsina through The Sacred Way, performed by Filareti Komninou.
Time: 21:00
Free admission with entry pass
On Monday 1 September, the visual art exhibition Symbols III – ENTROPY opens at IRIS, exploring a symbol’s power as a carrier of memory, identity, and metaphysical inquiry. The curation by esteemed Greek visual artists under Prof. Panagiotis Pangalos transforms Elefsina into a place of reflection and visual revelation. Building on the success of previous events at the National Museum of Contemporary Art and the Mediterranean Architecture Center, Symbols III connects the primordial with the contemporary, showcasing works that dialogue with the sacred, nature, and the collective unconscious.
Duration: 1/9–28/9/2025
Opening time: 20:00
On Wednesday 3 September, at the small theatre in Magoula Square, the Sacrifice of Iphigenia, a distinctive shadow-puppet theatre performance for all ages, is presented free of charge. The tragic masterpiece by Euripides comes alive via shadow puppetry by Christos Stanisis, with Karagiozis as messenger Agamemnon, using specially crafted figures and red lighting evocative of vase imagery. The performance is musically enhanced with songs from the Simon Karras archive, blending ancient Greek tragedy with folk shadow theatre and traditional Greek music.
Free admission
Time: 20:00
On Friday 5 September, 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture contributes to this year’s Aeschylia programme with the award-winning play “Tebas land” by the Franco-Uruguayan author Sergio Blanco, presented by Contemporary Theatre at IRIS. Directed by Vangelis Theodoropoulos, lauded for its intensity and atmosphere, the performance highlights standout performances by Thanos Lekkas (The Author) and Dimitris Kapouranis, who won the Dimitris Horn Award 2022–2023 for his dual portrayal of Martin/Federico.
Time: 21:00
On Saturday 6 September, the exhibition Arousal Circle / The Mystery of XenobotArt opens at the Old Town Hall of Elefsina. Created by Antigoni Koutalieri, Paraskevi Karamanis, and Georgia Filippou, the installation at the intersection of art and science is inspired by Xenobots—the first living robots—as our era’s “deus ex machina.” Using sculptures evoking the circularity of life, underwater photos, charcoal sketches, with music by Giorgos Koutalieris and lighting by Alia Sotirakopoulou, the artists probe the bond between humanity, nature, and technology. Art, here, is not documentary—it transforms and paves ways to new realities.
Duration: 6/9–20/9/2025
Opening time: 20:00
Free admission
On Monday 8 September, Kokou-Mouklo Puppet Theatre, with two decades in children’s theatre, presents their eco-theatrical comedy “Oikologimata” at Heroes’ Square. Based on stories by Vasilis Iliopoulos and inspired by illustrations of Francesca Cozandi, the play aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14, and 15 (energy, climate, and terrestrial and sea life).
Free admission
Time: 20:00
On Wednesday 10 September, at IRIS, Giorgos Kimoulis, Dimitris Gotsopoulos, and Thodoris Katsafados stage Sophocles’s Philoctetes,a tragedy dramatizing Odysseus’s deception, executed by Neoptolemus. Set on the desolate island of Lemnos, the abandoned Philoctetes must have his bow reclaimed to doom Troy.
Time: 21:00
A nostalgic “Summer Cinemas” musical tribute takes place Friday, 12 September, at IRIS, celebrating iconic Greek cinema songs—bouzouki, zeimbekiko, hasapiko, and syrtaki—from performers Penelope Anastassoulou, Matthildi Maggira, Krateros Katsoulis, Memos Behnis, Evangelia Moumouri, Eleni Kastani, and Makis Delaportas, inviting all on a Journey to Dream.
Time: 21:00
On Monday 15 September, Aeschylia dedicates its spotlight to young audiences. At IRIS, Karmen Rouggeri and her team introduce Mozart’s The Magic Flute as a musical fairy tale brimming with the composer’s melodies.
Free admission with seat reservation
Time: 20:00
On Saturday 20 September, at the small theatre of Magoula, an interactive musical-theatrical extravaganza—“Kontylo Mytofryda – The Show”—welcomes families. A hybrid of performance, karaoke, dance, and play, it turns audience members into part of the fun.
Free admission
Time: 20:00
On Sunday 21 September, at IRIS, a rare musical evening pays homage to Mikis Theodorakis, the composer deeply intertwined with the Greek spirit. “Mikis, the Lyricist of the Century” commemorates his centenary, led by Maria Farantouri, whose voice remains synonymous with his soul-stirring repertoire, accompanied by narration from Grigoris Valtinos, interpreting Theodorakis’s poems and autobiographical texts.
Time: 21:00
On Wednesday 24 September, shadow theatre returns to the stage with “Karagiozis and the Mystery of the Mermaid” at Laou Square, Elefsina—open to all.
Time: 20:00
The curtain falls on Aeschylia Festival 2025 on Friday 26 September, at IRIS, with a soulful concert by Nikos Portokaloglou and Yiannis Kotsiras. This partnership promises a heartfelt, energetic, and authentic musical journey through timeless songs—marked by depth, warmth, and artistic mutual respect.
Time: 21:00
CINEMA
The Aeschylia Festival 2025 presents a series of film screenings at the Elefsina Open-Air Cinema.
Specifically, on Saturday 13 September, the Drama Short Film Festival travels to Elefsina with screenings of short films:
GEKAS, directed by Dimitris Moutsiakas
Duration: 25′
Vasilis lives with his father in a village in the Greek countryside. When he turns 12, his father buys him a gun and a young hunting dog, Max, and begins training him to become a hunter.
M.J., directed by Giorgos Fourtounis
Duration: 27′
Michalis, aka MJ, is obsessed with fame, wealth, and Michael Jordan. He is a trap singer. “I’m ready for greatness! I’m already Number One! But why don’t they love me?”
HONEYMOON, directed by Alki Papastathopoulos
Duration: 24′
After a traumatic experience with the police, Fay decides to leave Greece for good. Sandra accompanies her to the bus station for her farewell journey. As they travel across the country by bus, a transphobic attack by two passengers leaves them stranded on a highway in the middle of nowhere.
ZANGE, directed by Irida Baglanea
Duration: 17′
A family of four lives in isolation in a wetland. Their house is surrounded by water and fishing traps. The children play in nature, the mother tries to preserve their innocence, and all of them teeter on a fine line of balance between the arrival of the third child and the imminent death of the father.
Screening Information from the Drama Festival
Start time: 21:15
Venue: Elefsina Open-Air Cinema
Free admission
Tuesday 16 September
ARCADIA, directed by Giorgos Zois
Duration: 99′
Neurologist Katerina and former doctor Giannis are headed to a deserted seaside resort. Silence falls in the car as they travel through sand dunes during a stormy autumn, matching the grim reason for their journey: Giannis has been summoned to identify the victim of a tragic accident at the hospital of a small town. When the local police officer informs them that the victim’s vehicle fell from a stone bridge and takes them to the morgue, Katerina’s worst suspicions are confirmed. Alongside Giannis—and in her own nighttime visits to a mysterious rustic beach bar called Arcadia—she begins to piece together a haunting story of love, loss, acceptance, and abandonment.
Cast: Vaggelis Mourikis, Angeliki Papoulia, Elena Topalidou, Nikolas Papagiannis, Vaggelis Evangelinos, Asterios Rimagmos Rigas, Vaggelio Andreadaki, Elena Mavridou, Flomaria Papadaki, Giorgos Biniaris, Antonis Tsotsiopoulos, Dafni Ioakeimidou Patakia, Maria Diakopaniotou, Nikos Georgakis, Alexandros Voulgaris, Petra Kalampoka, Maria Katsandri, Lena Giakka, Panagiota Yagli, Dimitris Giatzouzakis
Wednesday 17 September
OUR WILD DAYS, directed by Vasilis Kekatos
Duration: 90′
When Chloe becomes homeless, she decides to leave Athens and live with her older sister. Along the way, she meets a group of young people traveling across Greece in a camper van, helping those living on the brink of poverty. Chloe is immediately captivated by their ideals and unconventional lifestyle and becomes one of them. Her journey down the wild road of revolution leads her to the threshold of true adulthood.
Cast: Sofia Kokkali, Dafni Patakia, Nikos Zeginoglou, Stavros Tsoumanis, LEX., Natalia Swift, Eva Samioti, Popi Semerlioglou, Ioko Ioannis Kottidis
Thursday 18 September
SHE LOVED THE FLOWERS MORE, directed by Giannis Veslemes
Three siblings build a time machine in an attempt to bring their deceased mother back to life. When their eccentric father shows up, the experiment spins out of control, launching them into a whirlwind of time where past and present merge in this both comedic and bizarre exploration of grief.
Cast: Panos Papadopoulos, Giorgos (Giulio) Katsis, Aris Balis, Sandra Abuelghanam Sarafanova, Alexia Kaltsiki, Dominique Pinon
Screening Information
Start time: 21:15
Venue: Elefsina Open-Air Cinema
General admission: €5
Aeschylia Festival 2025 is organized by the Municipality of Elefsina, with the support of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture.
