Athens Jazz Festival: 25 Years at Technopolis – The Line-up, Dates, and Tickets
The Athens Jazz Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, transforming Technopolis City of Athens into a vibrant hub of music, art, and experiences from Monday, May 25, to Sunday, May 31, 2026. This milestone edition features a rich program of parallel events alongside a dynamic line-up of 20 bands from Greece and abroad.
The festival aims to be a meeting point for all ages, offering a diverse array of activities. These include exhibitions, installations, performances, a film screening, a Meet Market, dedicated children’s activities, and lively parties, all contributing to a unique festival experience.
Key Parallel Events:
1. “25 Years of Athens Jazz: Images of a Journey” Photography Exhibition
- Location: Technopolis | New Furnaces
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Time: 19:00 – 00:00
- Description: A retrospective photography exhibition celebrating the festival’s journey, showcasing memorable moments through the lenses of 10 photographers. The exhibition highlights the connection between musicians and the audience, the intensity of musical creation, and the profound human expression inherent in jazz.
- Curators: Thodoris Markou, Vangelis Patsialos
- Participating Photographers: Thomas Daskalakis, Thrasos Eirinis, Christos Kisatzekian, Christos Kopsacheilis, Thodoris Markou, Michalis Bothos, Kostas Broumas, Hippocrates Navridis, Vangelis Patsialos, Stefania Tsupaki
2. “Musicoma” Comic Exhibition (in collaboration with Comicdom CON Athens)
- Location: Technopolis | New Water Gas – Ground Floor
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Exhibition Hours: 19:00 – 00:00 (Monday – Sunday)
- Guided Tour Hours with Creator Maria-Olia Dakogianni: 20:00-21:00 (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) & 19:00-20:00 (Sunday)
- Description: This exhibition presents parts of Maria-Olia Dakogianni’s interactive comic “Musicoma,” which combines the reading experience with the history of jazz and original music. It includes initial sketches, timelines, references, and photographic material from its musical-theatrical adaptation.
- Teenage Workshop (Ages 15+): Saturday, May 30, 17:00 – 19:00, Technopolis | New Water Gas – Ground Floor. Participants will learn the basic principles of comics and jazz history, creating their own unique stories.
3. The Meet Market #JazzEdition
- Location: Technopolis | Machine Shop, Machine Shop Forecourt
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Hours: 19:00 – 00:00 (Monday – Friday) & 12:00 – 00:00 (Saturday – Sunday)
- Description: Featuring over 100 exhibitors, this jazzy edition of the Meet Market offers unique vintage, handmade, and local brand items. Expect DJ sets, street food, and children’s activities to enhance the festive atmosphere.
4. ART/TECH AREA by COSMOTE TELEKOM
- Jazz Doodle Universe:
- Location: Technopolis | Central Courtyard
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Hours: 20:00 – 00:00
- Description: The creative team Do Do and Do presents a live illustrative action where artists create digital sketches in real-time, projected onto a giant screen. The audience becomes part of an unpredictable, interactive jazz universe.
- Jazz Improvisation and Artificial Intelligence:
- Location: Technopolis | Clarifier Tanks
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Exhibition Hours: 19:00 – 00:00
- Performance Times: 21:30 & 22:30 (Monday – Sunday)
- Description: Internationally awarded saxophonist and composer Dimitris Vassilakis, with his team, presents a multi-performance exhibition where saxophone improvisations train AI to respond with music, poetry, and prose. The experience is enriched with projections, videos, visuals, theater, dance, and a discussion on AI’s role in the creative process.
- Astral Music Projections:
- Location: Technopolis | Clarifier Tanks
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Hours: 19:00 – 00:00
- Description: The Athens Digital Arts Festival curates an interactive holographic installation, “Astral Music Projections.” Through controls, the audience can influence the composition and activate millions of possible image and sound variations, creating a multicultural universe of music and human interaction.
5. Film Screening: “Soundtrack for a Coup d’État”
- Location: Technopolis | Gasworks 1 – “Miltiadis Evert” Amphitheater
- Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
- Screening Time: 19:00 – 21:30
- Description: Johan Grimonprez’s film, presented in collaboration with Cinobo, combines jazz atmosphere and political intrigue in 1960s Congo. It’s a critique of colonial and corporate interests, set against the conspiracy against Patrice Lumumba, the country’s first elected Prime Minister.
6. Kosmos Jazz Party
- Location: Gazarte Roof Stage
- Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026
- Start Time: 21:00
- Description: Celebrating five years of collaboration, Athens Jazz and Kosmos 93.6 radio station present a lively party featuring Rosanna Mailan and her 11-member Rosanna Mailan Orchestra, bringing Cuban temperament and Latin rhythms. Kosmos 93.6 producers will also be on the decks.
- Live Broadcasts on Kosmos 93.6: Monday, May 25 (Athens Jazz opening, dedicated to Greek participants) and Friday, May 29 (one of the strongest nights of the event).
7. Jazz for Kids
- Location: Technopolis | Central Chimney, Skywalk Courtyard, INNOVATHENS, Playground, New Water Gas, Upper Courtyard
- Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026
- Activity Hours: 11:00 – 14:00
- Description: A special day dedicated to children, offering a program filled with color, music, and fun. Activities include:
- Chasing Jazz | Free-flow Treasure Hunt: Technopolis | Kit distribution point: Shop (11:00 – 14:00). An adventure combining the factory’s history with jazz secrets.
- Face Painting: Technopolis | Central Chimney (11:00 – 13:00, ages 2+). Colorful jazz-inspired face painting by Moutzoures.
- The Band is… Jazz! | Art Workshop: Technopolis | INNOVATHENS – Ground Floor (11:00 – 11:40, 11:40 – 12:20, 12:20 -13:00, ages 5-8). Children create jazz musical instruments from recycled materials.
- Woodworking Notes | Art Workshop: Technopolis | Playground (11:00 – 13:00, ages 5+). Children become small jazz instrument makers, combining wood with other materials.
- Shall We Dance? | Music and Movement Workshop: Technopolis | Skywalk Courtyard (12:00 – 13:00 & 13:00 – 14:00, ages 5-8). Children experiment with rhythm, movement, and theatrical improvisation, transforming into different “jazz animals.”
- The Totem of Sounds | Theatrical Performance: Technopolis | Upper Courtyard (between INNOVATHENS and Gasworks 1 – “Miltiadis Evert” Amphitheater) (13:00 – 14:00, ages 2-6). Two multi-instrumentalists and music educators guide children in search of the first sound with accordions, bagpipes, bouzoukis, and various percussion instruments.
Practical Information:
- Location: Technopolis City of Athens
- Dates: May 25 – May 31, 2026
- Admission: For participation in activities, priority will be given based on arrival.
The 25th Athens Jazz Festival promises a week of music, energy, and entertainment, creating lasting memories for all attendees.
Source: https://www.documentonews.gr/article/athens-jazz-festival-25-chronia-stin-technopoli-to-line-up-oi-imerominies-kai-ta-eisitiria/
