The 5th Naoussa International Poetry Festival “Aristotle and the World” begins on Friday, September 4, with the official opening ceremony in the air-conditioned CHRISTOS LANARAS Hall at the ERIA complex, featuring 22 poets from 14 countries around the world (the U.S., Albania, Germany, Switzerland, India, Italy, Morocco, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Cyprus, and Greece). A building that symbolizes Naoussa’s industrial heyday is being transformed into an evocative setting for world poetry.

With the support of the Municipality of the Heroic City of Naoussa, the 5th International Poetry Festival—organized by the “Movement for Literature and the Arts”—will take place from Friday, September 4, through Sunday, September 6, 2026.

For three days, the Heroic City of Naoussa will be filled with renowned poets, who will recite their works at various locations throughout the city, accompanied by musical interludes at the venues. There will also be book presentations, guided tours, workshops, and other events.

The festival venues include the CHRISTOS LANARAS Hall in Naoussa, the Cultural Center of the Aristotle School, the ERIA Industrial Heritage Center, the Tomtsis Family Traditional Costume Workshop, the Ancient Theater of Mieza, the Macedonian Tombs, Nymfaio (Aristotle School), and others. The activities will include guided tours of ancient monuments and traditional buildings in the area, accompanied by poetry readings.

Since its inception, the festival has been supported by various international organizations, whose representatives will be attending the festival again this year. Invitations to participate in this festival were issued with a focus on cultural diplomacy, which aims to foster friendship and peaceful coexistence through poetry! Thus, poets from all over the world were invited to participate, and the result is remarkable, as 14 countries from around the world are represented! “The heart of poetry will beat in Naoussa,” wrote the well-known poet Dimitris P. Kraniotis from Larissa, President of the festival’s International Scientific Committee.

The support of the city’s municipal government is invaluable, and the collaboration with the culture and tourism offices has been exemplary. True to the tradition of Naoussa’s hospitality, the local community and businesses actively support the event: Local shops in Naoussa will generously offer regional delicacies. Winemakers offer their fine wines to the visiting poets, and pastry shops provide wonderful local treats, showcasing the region’s authentic flavors! “The sheer generosity of private citizens is truly moving,” says Xanthi Hondrou-Hill, the driving force behind this festival, which will conclude with the presentation of the “Aristotle” poetry awards. The public will have the opportunity to enjoy the works of remarkable and distinguished poets from around the world, in both Greek and English. Admission will be free for the public every day.

This year’s 22 participating poets:

Greek Poets:

Viktoria Kaplani – Greece

Georgia Makrogiorgou – Greece

 Giorgos Petoussis – Cyprus
 Despina Kaitatzi-Choulioumi – Greece / Sweden
 Dimitris P. Kraniotis  – Greece

Elias Fragakis – Greece
Cassandra Alogoskoufi – Greece

 Lina Vatantzi – Greece

 Maria Mistrioti – Greece
Xanthi Hondrou-Hill – Greece / Germany
 Panos Panagiotidis – Greece

International Poets

Adrian Suciu – Romania

Alexander Selimov – USA / Russia

Alicja Kuberska – Poland 

Aziz Mountassir – Morocco 

Bob Whelan – USA 

Braja Kumar Sarkar – India

Concetta La Placa – Italy
Griselda Doka – Albania / Italy
Mona Alassi – Palestine / Switzerland
Nicoleta Craete – Romania
Ranjita Sarkar – India