As one of 2023’s Cultural Capitals of Europe, Eleusis metamorphoses into a city-wide carnival throughout June. The crowning jewel of this significant event is SYNΟIKΙSMΟΙ A FESTIVAL, the international multimedia festival. From 9th to 28th June, this festival serves as a global stage for art in all its forms, bearing witness to the social dynamics and collectives that comprise the city.
The celebration will spill across more than 45 venues in Eleusis, knitting together contemporary circus and acrobatics, music, theatre, visual arts, cinema, and gastronomy, rounded off with participatory workshops. From the Old Railway Station to Fonia’s beach, from ARKOPOLIS to Nikolaïdou’s pedestrian walkway, and from the Refreshment Station to the Old City Hall, culture will permeate every corner of the city.
Art exhibitions, theatre performances, music events, film, contemporary circus, acrobatics, architectural performances, gastronomic experiences, and even walking tours and workshops will punctuate the event. All this creativity adds layers to Eleusis’ neighbourhoods, creating an unending festival of cultural diversity, dialogue, and inclusivity. Best of all, most of these events come with free admission.
Centre-Stage: Performative Arts
Beneath the towering trees of the Oasis, the site-specific theatre performance MYSTERY 13 E_ESCAPE PONTUS (21-24/6) led by Yolanda Markopoulou sheds light on a dimly lit fragment of Greek history. Participants narrate their family stories and origins—the younger ones retelling passed-on tales, the older ones recalling lived experiences.
The multimedia, site-specific performance MYSTERY 175 WALKING IN LIGHT (24/6) directed by Elena Zervopoulou unravels the inward journey of young refugees to Greece. It uses music to narrate their pursuit of a brighter future. Meanwhile, a thrilling blend of Greek and French artists, musicians from both ends of the Mediterranean, under the banner of MYSTERY 57: ACROBATING IN ELEFSINA / REIMAGINING ELEUSIS LANDSCAPES (12 – 17/6) constructs artistic happenings.
On 15/6, at MYSTERY 116: THE LOVERS OF THE SKY, Marco Mannucci directs a vertical dance and contemporary circus performance where the unexpected is anticipated. Simultaneously, MYSTERY 16: TOGETHER! A CIRCUS INVITATION urges us to set aside differences and assemble to create magic. 20 circus artists from Greece, Hungary, and Ukraine, each designing interventions for the urban landscape, take part.
20 professionals across Europe join a cross-sector workshop as part of the SPARK – PLACEMAKING & PERFORMING ARTS (17/6) project, focusing on activating public spaces through performing arts and active citizen participation. The finale is MYSTERY 109: THE HIGGS PARTICLE (18/6), where both children and adults can participate in a series of social circus workshops, acrobatics, and contemporary dance guided by the ‘Yet It Moves’ team.
The cultural currents are continually shifting, creating an ebb and flow in the vibrant cultural landscape of Eleusis.
Naturally, Music Takes Over
On 21st June, the year’s longest day, Eleusis marks European Music Day with MYSTERY 154: LIVE MUSIC ACTS. The day resonates with the contemporary opera of the band Mato Grosso, Eleni Papalitsa’s performance project “LOU for Elefsina, Am I?”, and impromptu concerts by local musicians. Simultaneously, MYSTERY 96: DAUGHTERS fills public spaces with the polyphonic singing of Eleusinian women of all ages, under Marina Satti’s artistic guidance.
MYSTERY 100: SACRED SONGS (23/6) “Sun rise, set me on fire!” celebrates the summer solstice with songs and rituals of Theros and Klidonas. The grand finale is the DISTRICTS: A FESTIVAL event featuring the Dresden Symphony Orchestra (28/6), one of Europe’s premier contemporary music orchestras, gracing Eleusis’ skies with their melodies as part of the MYSTERY 132: SKY ABOVE ELEFSINA.
Music compositions crafted for 2023 Eleusis, coupled with original works from the past, will echo throughout the city’s unique stages. This musical journey, brimming with the familiar and the extraordinary, promises to be a sensory exploration, each note a beacon guiding us to another realm of experience.
