ATHENS – The ElaiΩnas Festival, the only site-specific festival in Athens, returns for the 7th consecutive year, July 26-August 1, in co-organization with the Attica Region, continuing the cultural excavation of the most dramatic stories of the city, through performances of ancient drama, with great Greek names and musicians of the international scene, who return to the country exclusively for this institution. This year’s event also features a rare multimedia tribute to the great Athenaeographer Dimitris Kampouroglou. Admission is free for the festival which takes place at the unique space of the Industrial Park of the old Knitting-Weaving Mills. Artistic Direction for the event is by Fenia Papadodima and George Palamiotis.

Return and healing are the two concepts – pillars of this year's ElaiΩnas Festival which returns to where it started in 2015- among the modern handicrafts of Votanikos, in a special place where the aura of the ancient olive grove will come alive again through the texts of Dimitris Kampouroglou which will be heard at the beginning of the festival, a collection of photos of Eleonas today, but also through videos and tributes to the favorite Athenaeographer to be presented throughout the festival.

Return and healing were the concepts that shaped the choices of texts in the theatrical section, with three very interesting proposals/studies on ancient tragedy. Especially with regard to the ancient theater in relation to healing, there was no theater without an Asclepieion and vice versa, in the Greek world.

The concept of return also defined the musical choices of the festival, which this year invites Greek musicians whose artistic/discographic base and/or their permanent residence is outside Greece.

Admission is free, but an entry ticket from the festival site is required: www.elaionasfestival.com.