Festival at the Park returns to Paros this summer for the 17th consecutive year, with a vibrant program of music, theater, cinema, and visual arts. Organizers say this year’s edition aims to showcase a different vision of the Cyclades, where culture, nature and local heritage remain at the forefront beyond the peak tourist season.
Running from July through September, Festival at the Park’s 2026 edition brings together artists from Greece and abroad within a striking natural landscape at the Paros Environmental & Cultural Park, located within the protected Ai-Yiannis Detis peninsula.
The festival opens on July 1 with Martha Frintzila and the Kubara Project, before welcoming a lineup spanning contemporary Greek music, jazz, opera and theater. Among the headline performances are a joint concert by Alkistis Protopsalti and Nikos Portokaloglou; Markus Stockhausen’s “Music of the Stars” with guitarist Vassilis Rakopoulos; and the 10th anniversary edition of “Opera Under the Stars.” Other featured artists include Panos Vlachos, Fotini Velesiotou, Novel 729, Andreas Polyzogopoulos Quartet, the Dryades Quartet and the Lycabettus Ensemble.
The theater program includes Euripides’ “Medea,” “The Tricksters” by Stratis Myrivilis and “Mr Stink,” based on the popular children’s book by David Walliams.
Beyond the performances, the festival reflects the park’s broader mission of promoting sustainable cultural tourism and strengthening community life on the island. Organizers describe the venue as an alternative model for the Cyclades, where artistic activity is integrated with the surrounding landscape and continues throughout the year rather than being confined to the height of the summer tourist season.
Visitors will be able to attend screenings at the park’s open-air cinema, Cine Enastron, which resumes operations in mid-June.
The traditional panigiri of Ai-Yiannis Detis will take place on August 28 in the historic monastery’s courtyard, celebrating one of Paros’ longstanding local religious and cultural traditions that brings together residents and visitors alike.
Additionally, the photography exhibition “Memories of the Aegean” by renowned photographer Robert A. McCabe will remain on display through September, at Porto Aoussa Art Space in Naoussa, presenting 90 photographs documenting the Greek islands from the 1950s through the late 1970s.
Since its founding in 2009, the Paros Environmental & Cultural Park has evolved into a year-round destination combining environmental protection with cultural programming. Built largely through municipal support and volunteer participation, its 80 hectares feature seven kilometers of walking trails, various free and organized beaches, exhibition and performance areas, a traditional boatyard, the Ai-Yiannis Detis lighthouse, and the historic Monastery of Ai-Yiannis Detis.
Festival at the Park continues to embody a central tenet of the park’s mission, bringing artists and audiences together while highlighting a vision of the Cyclades rooted as much in culture and community as in seasonal tourism.
The 2026 Festival at the Park runs through September 7 at the Paros Environmental & Cultural Park under the artistic direction of Themistocles Karpodinis. For more information and the full program, visit their website at parospark.com.
Marina Papalexopoulos is a third-year student at Yale University.
