A new cultural initiative for the improvisational arts, centered around jazz music, is launching this year in Aegina, initiated by the Jazz Solidarity Network, the only official organization for jazz in Greece.
Two full days of culture in the heart of summer, on one of the most charming and accessible islands in the country.
Jazz concerts, contemporary dance performances, and poetry, all closely connected to Aegina’s vibrant artistic community—one of the most significant in Greece.
The festival's purpose is entirely charitable and non-profit. It aims to raise funds to support emerging artists from the Greek jazz scene, helping to finance new recording projects and international tours in 2026.
For the festival’s needs, the Ministry of Culture is making available Aegina’s most important modern monument, the Kapodistrian Orphanage, which served for a long period (1880–1985) as a prison, primarily for political detainees.
This year’s festival program features artists with ties to Aegina. Highlights of the lineup include Giorgos Kontrafouris and the Flying Jazz Trio, Pantelis Benetatos with Alexandros Affolter and the Vocal Jazz Quartet, Alekos Vretos’ Mediterranean Echoes, Giannis Kassetas’ Hippomaniacs, and two exceptional contemporary dancers—Loukiani Papadaki and Maria Mavridou—who will improvise alongside the musicians.
A special guest of honor, Haris Alexiou, will be presenting poetry born in Aegina.
