People from more than 60 countries came together to enjoy 8 days and 30 online events at the Summer Nostos Festival: RetroFuture Edition.

From Athens to Crete, from Malaysia to Canada, people from more than 60 countries came together—virtually, of course—to enjoy wholesome summer fun and join in illuminating discussion at the online Summer Nostos Festival RetroFuture Edition. The SNFestival, organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), took place last week from June 21 to 28, but if you missed out, you can still catch the exciting events.

This year’s SNFestival was different from any other, since we couldn’t meet up in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, as we have each of the past five years. Nevertheless, in the midst of crisis, the Festival still created space for moments of joy, of catharsis, of discovery, and of togetherness with a diverse group of artists, musicians, performers, thinkers, and attendees. It was a testament to all that unites us; wherever in the world we live, whatever language we speak, in the end, we can laugh at, be excited by, worry about, and enjoy the same things.

This first online edition of the SNFestival presented more than 60 artists and speakers in 30 events, including the SNF Conference, the SNF Dialogues hosted in collaboration with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, the charitable Virtual SNF Run, concerts, performances, and kids’ programs.

Record numbers of visitors at the Summer Nostos Festival 2019!

What can bring together more than 280.000 people in one place? People of all ages, from infants and young children to the elderly, who speak the same or a different language, disabled and able bodied people who love the arts, sports, coexistence and dialogue, with many common as well as different interests? The Summer Nostos Festival of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), held for the 5th year, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), from 23 to 30 June, with free admission for everyone. 

This year’s rich program of events, which was attended by record numbers of  visitors, presented a host of artistic and sporting events alongside the 8th FSN Conference, the 2nd SNF Agora Institute Workshop and the SNF RUN: Running into the Future. In this, its fifth event, the SNFestival presented more than 700 artists from the heart of the international music scene, champions and celebrities distinguished for their inventiveness, craftsmanship and insight, such as Ernő Rubik, Brian Eno, Nigel Short, Neneh Cherry, Alkistis Protopsalti, Andrew Bird, Balthazar, Rita Wilson, Low, Yorgos Margaritis, Local Natives, Victoria Thierrée Chaplin, Liza Hannigan and s t a r g a z e, Marina Satti and of course Legends 2004, who participated in many festival events.