Athens Jazz opens at Technopolis, launching its 25th anniversary edition with a weeklong lineup of 20 acts from Greece and abroad at the capital’s longest-running free music festival.
Running through May 31, the festival will stage nightly concerts at 9 p.m. in the former gasworks complex in Gazi, with organizers expecting more than 6,000 visitors a day.
The silver-jubilee program expands beyond the main stage to include multimedia installations, children’s workshops, independent film screenings and the Meet Market bazaar.
“This anniversary edition brings together generations, styles and origins,” said Antonis Zouganelis, the festival’s artistic coordinator.
Opening night paid tribute to the festival’s history with the Stavros Lantsias Quartet and its My Ennio Morricone project, followed by the Greek Cooking Band, a collective that blends Greek folk influences with American jazz.
The lineup continues with Estonia’s Keelepeksjad on Wednesday and Hungary’s Jazzbois on Thursday, both known for mixing jazz with electronic and groove-based sounds.
The festival closes Sunday with Brazil’s Esdras Nogueira Quintet, which fuses Afrobeat and Latin jazz, and the French avant-garde group Lagon Nwar.
Since its launch, Athens Jazz has grown into a fixture of the city’s cultural calendar, drawing local audiences and international acts to one of Athens’ most recognizable industrial landmarks. The 25th edition underscores both the festival’s staying power and the wider reach of jazz in the Greek capital.