AEF2023: The Garden of Delights

It’s that time of the year again, when Athenians start planning their summer holidays around the programme of the Athens Epidaurus Festival. The leading performing arts festival in Greece, and one of the oldest in Europe, returns between June 1st and August 26th for its 68th edition with a rich programme of events. As always, the main venues are the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the industrial complex of Pireos 260 and the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Click here for our festival picks or head over to the official website for the full programme.

The Athens Festival (this is the title that is used for the part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival programme that takes place in Athens) comes to a triumphant close at the beginning of August with The Garden of Delights. French director and visual artist, Philippe Quesne draws inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights (ca 1500), a triptych with three panels; in the centre, unusual figures engage in unimaginable erotic acts; on the left and right, the Garden of Eden and the punishments of Hell. Following a similar narrative, Quesne creates a surreal setting where everything shifts between utopia and dystopia, pleasure and punishment. Besides being the final event of the season, it is actually the only theatrical performance that takes place at the Herodion. As per tradition, August’s events move to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and include productions of ancient Greek tragedies and comedies. This year, don’t miss Hippolytus, The Wasps, Medea, The Frogs, Oedipus at Colonus, Hecuba, The Trojan Women, Oedipus Rex and a very special film screening of Phaedra.