Imagine the open, dark Greek summer sky overhead and the marble tiers of an ancient Greek theatre filled with a rapt audience watching art in the making. The most prominent Greek summer festival, the Hellenic Festival features a top line-up of local and international music, dance and drama. And, wonderfully, many of the marquee events are staged at one of the world’s prime historic venues: the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, with the floodlit Acropolis as a backdrop.
The other key venue is the Unesco-listed Theatre of Epidavros, two hours west of Athens near Nafplio in the Peloponnese. The amazingly well-preserved theatre, which saw its first performance around 2000 years ago, has perfect acoustics and occupies a glorious setting amid pine-clad hills. Other events are also held in modern venues around Athens. The festival runs from June through August.