Category: Arts & culture (page 9 of 10)

Patmos international film festival starts Wednesday

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International Film Festival of Patmos (IFFP) promotional poster

More than two dozen feature films, documentaries and shorts will be shown this coming week during the third International Film Festival of Patmos

 

 

Reel thing: One of my favourite Greek islands, Patmos, is perhaps best known for the historic Monastery of St John the Evangelist, which is visited by scores of pilgrims, tourists and cruise ship passengers each year. But for the next seven days, the scenic Dodecanese island will be in the spotlight for an altogether different cultural attraction — the third International Film Festival of Patmos (IFFP).

More than two dozen documentaries, shorts and feature films — including the current Hollywood hit Before Midnight, for which scenes were filmed in Messinia, Pylos and other parts of the southern Peloponnese of Greece — will be screened during the weeklong event, which runs July 24-31.

Venues include the 400-seat Cinema Under the Stars, an open air theater at the School of Skala where feature films will be shown, and the 200-seat Documentaries and Shorts Hall at the Patmos Aktis Suites & Spa luxury hotel at gorgeous Grikos Bay.

 

This 90-second clip is the official trailer for the International Film Festival of Patmos (IFFP). It offers an “eclectic tour” of Patmos, the IFFP website says, and gives “a glimpse of the island’s unique lifetstyle” by peering at scenery through foliage or from unexpected angles.

 

 

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Mykonos food and drink 2013: Where to find the best summer beach parties and special events

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High on Heels at Guilty Beach Mykonos

The High on Heels all-female collective of DJs, musicians and vocalists gave a live performance June 24 at the Guilty Beach restaurant & bar at Panormos beach

 

[This is one in a series of reports about the Mykonos restaurant and bar scene this summer. The first part reviewed popular restaurants in and near Mykonos Town, while the second featured the top beach restaurants and tavernas. This post profiles venues and special events at Mykonos beaches.] 

 

Beach bashes: The names of some of the top party venues on Mykonos — including Skandinavian Bar, Paradise Club and Cavo Paradiso — are practically household words in many parts of the world. But those aren’t the only places on the island where tourists and locals love to kick up their heels and party to music by top-flight international DJs or live entertainers.

There are dozens of popular bars and clubs in the heart of Mykonos Town and several more at some of the island’s major beaches, while even a few upscale hotels and restaurants participate in the party spirit by hosting special entertainment events during the peak months of July and August.

Here’s a look at the most popular Mykonos party beaches this season, with a peek at promotional posters for upcoming events as well as some parties that have already taken place (to illustrate the scope and diversity of the island’s summer entertainment program).

 

Paradise Club Mykonos poster for Carl Cox event

From the Paradise Club Facebook page, a promotional image for DJ Carl Cox, who headlined at the Paradise beach venue on July 19. The party lasted right through the night, with Carl Cox spinning until sunrise.

 

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Hang on! Handpan player Spyros Pan performing in live concerts across the Cyclades this summer

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Spyros Pan concert poster

Promotional poster for the Spyros Pan Hang Solo Concerts this weekend at the Magaya Beach Restaurant in the Paros port town of Paroikia

 

Cyclades tour: If you’re looking for good food and some unusual musical entertainment on Paros island this weekend, the Magaya Beach Restaurant in Paroikia has just the ticket — two live concerts by hang and handpan player Spyros Pan.

In case you’re wondering exactly what a “hang” and “handpan” are (I’ll admit I had a vague idea, but still had to do a Google search to find out for certain), they are percussion musical instruments related to the steel drums from Trinidad. (Detailed information, photos, audio samples and videos of both instruments can be found on David Kuckhermann’s fascinating World Percussion website, Framedrums.)

The two Spyros Pan performances in Paros are scheduled for 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  The Magaya Beach Restaurant is situated on Souvlia beach, which is just a short distance southwest of Paroikia.

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Biennale brings avant-garde art to Mykonos

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Mykonos Biennale photo of Mykonos harbourfront

This promotional image for this weekend’s Mykonos Biennale depicts a view of the picturesque blue-domed church at the Mykonos harbourfront, as seen from the entrance colonnade at the Mykonos Town Hall

 

Cult event: Most people associate Mykonos with beautiful beaches and scintillating nightlife, but this weekend the island will draw international attention for arts and culture instead as it plays host to an avant-garde festival of visual art, music, dance and film.

The Mykonos Biennale, a cult event featuring a video film festival, contemporary art installations and live dance and musical performances, takes place at a variety of venues in and around Mykonos Town as well as on nearby Delos island during the four days starting Friday June 21.

 

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A minstrel in Mykonos Town

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A bouzouki player entertains tourists in the Kastro area of Mykonos Town while one of the Mykonos pelicans preens behind him

Musician Andreas Tsironis plays the bouzouki while one of the island’s famous pelicans preens on the wall behind him in the Kastro area of Mykonos Town

 

 

Tunes for tourists: Cruise ship passengers who headed for the Kastro area of Mykonos Town in hopes of seeing one of the famous Mykonos pelicans, as well as the iconic Paraportiani Church, got a triple treat while visiting the island recently.

They not only got to see both the church and one of the popular birds in the same place, but they also got to enjoy some live musical entertainment at the same time, courtesy of a local bouzouki busker.

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Acropolis Museum celebrates 4th anniversary with concert, extended hours & reduced admission

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A Nikos Daniilidis photo of the southern facade of the Acropolis Museum in Athens

The south facade of the superb Acropolis Museum in Athens is seen in this photo by Nikos Daniilidis. Click the image to view it full-size.

 

Untold stories: Tourists visiting Athens tomorrow (Thursday June 20) are in for a treat if they plan to visit the city’s acclaimed Acropolis Museum.

The museum will be celebrating its fourth birthday with a few gifts for its visitors — longer opening hours (8 a.m. until midnight), a reduced admission fee (only €3 per person), special gallery talks with 3D presentations, and an evening concert by the Athens Municipality Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Athens Gardens Festival underway this weekend

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National Gardens in Athens

Palm trees tower above flower displays in the National Garden of Athens.  The Athens Gardens Festival is being held here from June 15 to 18.

 

Culture in the Garden: The National Garden of Athens is one of my favourite must-see attractions in Central Athens — a beautiful, soothing space where I like to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy downtown area during a day of visiting monuments and museums.

I wish I could be in Athens this weekend, because the annual Athens Gardens Festival — underway from June 16 to 18 — would give me a chance to enjoy the 15.5-hectare oasis behind the Greek Parliament building in an entirely new way.

For the next four days, classical music, jazz, urban acoustic music, Greek art music and various European music genres, along with interactive performing arts and visual performances, “will turn the National Garden into a magical place of artistic expression and creativity,” according to the event’s organizers.

The Festival is part of the annual Gardens of Athens program which aims to promote the city’s gardens as “meeting points of art and culture.”

According to the Breathtaking Athens website, the festival is hosted by the Athens Art Network in collaboration with the Municipality of Athens, OPAN (Athens Municipality Cultural, Sports and Youth Organization), the Athens Traders Association, the Directorate of Greenery and Environment and Athens “Technopolis.”

Further details are available in the breathtakingathens.com post about the Festival, while the complete program is presented on this page of the Athens Art Network blog.

Georges Meis fine art photo exhibition in Glyfada

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Georges Meis photo exhibition

The promotional flyer for the Georges Meis fine art photo exhibition being hosted by Saro Art Lounge in Glyfada this month

 

Aegean photo art: If you enjoy fine art photography and happen to be visiting the Athens area this month, consider making arrangements to view the Aegean Islands Fine Art Photo Exhibition. 

The exhibit, showing until June 30 at Saro Art Lounge in Glyfada, features 40 fine art prints by acclaimed photographer Georges Meis.

If the name Georges Meis doesn’t sound familiar to you, his work probably will be — his exceptional photos of stunning Greek Island scenery (especially on Santorini and other Cyclades islands) have been reproduced on scores of postcards, calendars and other souvenir items sold throughout Greece.

 

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