Photos: mysalonika.gr
At its regular meeting held on 25 January, the Municipal Council of Thessaloniki approved the list of cultural events planned to take place in 2016.
Deputy Mayor for Culture, Education and Sports Eli Chrisidou stated in her report that the institutionalized events will continue to take place and some of them will be extended to new social groups, and that new cultural events will be created. "In 2016 we continue to steadily combine culture with creative economy", said Eli Chrisidou.
In particular, the programme of events in Thessaloniki in 2016 is the following:
1. Open stage - theatrical voices of the city/March-April
For the fifth consecutive year the Aneton Municipal Theatre will host the festival entitled "Open stage - theatrical voices of the city", offering the theatre troupes of Thessaloniki the opportunity to present their productions at their choice. The Municipality of Thessaloniki will provide free of charge the building of the Aneton Municipal Theatre and its staff to the troupes that will be selected following an open call.
2. Night at the Museum - Sleepovers (for adults)
Such an event for adults is planned for the first time this year, based on the established model for children. In particular, the museums in the city will open their doors to their adult friends, especially following the successful example of similar institutions abroad.
Adults too will have the opportunity to spend the night at museums, watch educational programmes and become familiar with the cultural life and heritage preserved in the museums of Thessaloniki.
3. Sundays in Aneton/March-April
For the third consecutive year, the Aneton Municipal Theatre will welcome the children of the city, with the participation of their parents in a series of events aimed at entertainment and learning through interactive games, experimental activities and art studios.
All activities will be guided by professionals with extensive experience in events for children.
4. IN-EDIT: Music film festival/April
This is one of the major music film festivals in the world, held on the continent. This year, Thessaloniki has the ambition to become a representative of the organization in Southeast Europe.
Screenings of music films at the Olympion theatre, musical events and workshops will take place during the festival.
5. European Children's Festival/May
The European Children's Festival will be held for the third consecutive year and will include concerts, art events, story readings, puppet theatre performances, theatre and visual arts workshops, film screenings and displays of the historical monuments in Thessaloniki.
The difference this time will be the participation of artists from different European twin cities and towns of Thessaloniki, together with Greek artists.
6. STAMP FESTIVAL/June
After its first successful edition in 2015, the creative platform for culture under the slogan "Stamp" is planned to take place this year too and has a dual purpose.
On the one hand, it is the creative exploitation of previously unused urban spaces in Thessaloniki through the creation of a new cultural and economic development model and on the other, the promotion of the creative economy of Thessaloniki through organized cultural events.
7. Jazz Festival/June
For the second year in a row, the Municipal Garden Theatre of (Kipou Theatre) will host a series of events under the title "Jazz at the Kipos", welcoming representatives of contemporary jazz.
8. Outdoor Theatre Festival/Jul
This year the Outdoor Theatre Festival that has already become an institution in the cultural calendar of the city will celebrate its 33rd anniversary.
The repertoire of performances will range from musical theatre and modern readings of ancient Greek drama to works of contemporary theatre and children's performances.
9. REWORKS/September
This avant-garde music festival has established itself in recent years with great success on the music scene of the city, as it listens to the events of the present day but also looks at the future music horizon.
Avant-garde artists of electronic music and culture are invited to show their art during Reworks, but at the same time, it provides a platform for the expression of the emerging talents of Greek music.
10. Night at the Museum - Sleepovers (for children)/November-December
The event continues this year too, being one of the most modern practices of museology, an original approach through which children have a unique nighttime experience in the city's museums, participating in educational programmes and activities.
11. Placing the sculpture donated by Theodoros in the City Hall
Placing the sculpture donated to the Municipality of Thessaloniki by artist Theodoros following the relevant architectural and structural research.
12. COMIC CON Festival/May
This festival aims to bring together under one roof all fans of the ninth art, and everything related to the world of comic books, from magazines and films to clothes and toys.
13. Animasyros Festival
The international Animasyros Festival, which is organized for the first time in Thessaloniki, focuses on the art of animation.
It includes film screenings, extensive presentations of festivals, animation creators and studios, workshops for children, teenagers and adults as well as an applied audiovisual workshop ‘making of’.
14. Caravan Project
Caravan Project is organized for the first time in Thessaloniki and includes educational programmes for students, represented by the Ministry of Education, workshops for creative writing of stories for adults, a documentary film festival, activities specifically targeting vulnerable groups, concerts.
15. TARATSA FILM FESTIVAL/August
A different film festival will take place in Thessaloniki this year, during which the roofs of public buildings and monuments will become open-air cinemas that will screen classic films and short films, following the call for proposals competition.