As the Mayor added, “the Summer Festival becomes yet another attraction for visitors, who, apart from the performances, will be able to enjoy the hospitality of the city, its monuments, have fun and of course taste the gastronomy of Thessaloniki in every corner of the city – let us not forget that we are the gastronomic capital of Greece with the Unesco seal“.
“We set the bar high and our goal is to offer the city and its visitors a cultural institution of quality, inspiring, creative, that utilizes the artists of the new generation. We want to create a festival that will become a trademark for the city and this year’s programme is diverse, rich and collaborative,” said Deputy Mayor of Culture and Tourism Maria Karagianni.

Productions of high aesthetics and quality

With the Garden Theatre as a reference point and aiming to showcase and host as many artists and creators as possible, this year’s festival offers 29 music and theatre productions. The programme combines the classical with the contemporary, nostalgia with the dynamism and energy of young groups.
Characteristics of the 3rd Summer Festival are the major specials, the participation of the city’s youth groups, the major theatre productions and activities in the Garden Theatre, the Garden of Sculptures and the Garden of Seasons, as well as music in the city’s central locations.
The 3rd Summer Festival started with a great tribute to the memory of Dimitris Mitropoannou and will close with an equally great tribute to Michalis Sougioul with the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the unique voice of Yannis Bezos and Eleni Demopoulou. The programme also includes a two-day tribute to Vassilis Tsitsanis by the 10 bouzoukia of Domna and the Katifes, while the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki will fill the central parts of the city with well-known melodies of Mikis Theodorakis on 2 September, honouring his memory.
In this year’s edition, the Summer Festival hosts street musicians and performers who will tell the most beautiful stories for three days in the Garden of Seasons. This is the Buskers Festival, a European network that started in Ferrara, Italy, and has grown to include major cities. It is a new cultural event, held annually in Edinburgh, Barcelona, New York and elsewhere. In this context music, dance, theatre, pantomime, stand up comedy and jugglers draw residents and visitors into a multi-faceted experience, culminating on 21 June.