A few weeks after the completion of the annual Delphi Economic Forum, the world-famous historical site in Central Greece once again gets ready to host local and international visitors, this time as the seat of a regional summer festival for music and agrotourism.
The Delphi Festival, now in its fourth year, will run from June 18, 2022 to August 13, 2022, deployed around the eight communities consisting of the extended municipality.
It is supported by the Prefecture of Central Greece under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
Quoting the last prophecy of Oracle Pythia that “the speaking water has been silenced,” artistic director Dimitris Maramis said in a press conference that the Delphi festival’s effort is “to make the water speak again, through art and culture.”
A peculiar inter-community festival
The Delphi festival is a network of activities which take place in different locations and different communities but mainly in natural spaces spanning from Mount Parnassus to the harbor towns of Itea and Galaxidi—home to one of the most important maritime museums in Greece.
“This peculiarity involves challenges, but also beauty and magic,” Maramis added.
“We select which event to assign to each space…in order to create a link between the nature of the event and the beauty of the landscape or the history of the location,” he explained.
Starting this year, the festival will also showcase agritourist products from the area, such as olive, wine, honey, and herbs—iconic products often referenced by Greek art and culture throughout the centuries—in an attempt to create a further connection between the land and its culture.
Delphi enjoys a prolonged tourist season each year from spring to November, mayor Panagiotis Tagalis commented.
It is by conscious choice that the municipality dedicates a generous budget to culture, he added.
Still, the Delphi Festival only accounts for one fifth of the municipality’s annual expenditure for culture and sports activities.
Open up to international collaborations
This year, the Delphi festival is proud to present its first international collaboration.
The world-famous Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will perform at the open-air Frynichos Theatre, among other Greek venues, which will include the Athens and Thessaloniki concert halls.
The concert, which is also supported by the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, will take place June 24th at 9 pm.
It will be conducted by acclaimed musician Benzamin Zander, who is also the founder of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
The one hundred member orchestra will be accompanied by twenty American patrons, who have specifically requested to attend the Delphi concert, it was said at the press conference.
Despite the Delphi Festival’s aspiration to attract more international collaborations in the future, its artistic director points out that it will not be disconnecting from its local character.
“We want to feature new proposals, new artists, but without losing our connection to, and support by, the local society,” Maramis concluded.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
