Greece’s international market is going from strength to strength, according to Ejekt Festival director Giannis Paltoglou.
Indeed, Paltoglou has landed Green Day’s first-ever performance in Greece, headlining the 20th anniversary of Ejekt this summer.
“If a new band comes to Greece and plays on the first record, they will keep coming back with every record because the Greek audience is really warm, and also the weather, the food and the hospitality are renowned,” Paltoglou explains. “But when bands are at the level of Green Day, it’s tough to convince them to visit because we are not a big market.
“We have around 5.1 million people living in Athens but we have a lot of tourists and the economy is much better than in previous years – that’s why we can afford to spend more money, increase ticket prices and bring bigger bands here. We’re growing up slowly.”
Green Day is the first act to be announced for the milestone edition of Ejekt, which will take place across three days in early July at Athens Olympic Stadium.
The festival moved to the 35,000-capacity stadium last year to facilitate the growing supply of – and demand for – international artists in Greece.
“The economy is much better now – that’s why we can afford to spend more money, increase ticket prices and bring bigger bands”
“It’s near to the train station, has better facilities for disabled people, more parking,” Paltoglou lists the benefits of the new venue. “And, of course, it has bigger infrastructure… it’s a stadium experience now.”
In another major coup, Paltoglou has secured Robbie Williams for a special, standalone performance at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in October, under the Ejekt Festival banner.
“His tour is in October so we didn’t want him to perform during the festival’s normal days,” explains Paltoglou. “We wanted him in an iconic stadium with his production, not a greenfield.”
While Greek artists continue to dominate the market, demand for international stars has been increasing year on year according to Paltoglou.
“All the international shows we did last year were really good,” continues Paltoglou. “We had more than 78 international artists across our festivals and two venues in Athens.”
And it’s not just Ejekt Festival that is doing good business with overseas acts. “Over the 90 days of summer, we had almost two international shows from various promoters every day,” he claims. “People are thirsty for international acts.”
While Greece’s festivals are poised to supply the demand, the country’s touring circuit still has a way to go. Mid-size venues (with caps of 10-15,000) are sorely lacking, limiting the range of acts Greece could attract.
“All the international shows we did last year were really good”
“We don’t have any indoor venues at 3,000 capacity,” says Paltoglou. “The smallest arena is 6,000 capacity and then it jumps to 9,000 and then 16,000.”
“Also, the Acropolis Theater (4,100), a venue that has been operating every summer for the last 70 years, is closing for renovations until 2027. This will be a big loss for us. We have promoted many artists at the venue including Florence and the Machine, Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno and others.”
“We are waiting for some new venues to open, but nothing is happening. We’re discussing with the government, private companies and stadiums to see what they can do… it will slowly happen.”
In addition to a shortage of venues, Greece’s location in Europe has always been a hurdle for touring acts.
“We are at the bottom of Europe,” Paltoglou explains. “So a band from England needs a travelling day, one day to play, one day to leave. Logistics are tough for them and that’s why we try to collaborate with other markets like Bulgaria and Turkey and create a tour of the eastern Balkans to attract newer bands.
“We are doing a lot of shows there in Thessaloniki,” he adds. “But the economy is not as strong as in Athens – it doesn’t have as many tourists – so we can’t charge the same ticket prices.”
That said, Paltoglou is optimistic that Greece will continue to establish itself as a worthy market for international acts.
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