Environmental & Cultural Park of Paros: A vibrant cultural hub in the Cyclades

The Festival in the Park returns with a packed program for the 17th year.

Where the Cycladic landscape meets the Aegean's blue, on the Agios Ioannis Detis peninsula in Paros, lies a cultural landmark that stands out across the Cyclades. The Environmental & Cultural Park of Paros, since its founding in 2009, is a place where nature, history, and culture coexist in harmony, creating a model that connects artistic creation with environmental protection.

The Park aspires to be an open meeting place for residents, visitors, and creators, showcasing a different cultural vision for the Cyclades beyond the bounds of the tourist season. The Festival at the Park returns this year too, from July to September 2026, with an eclectic program of music, theater, and activities for all ages, hosting major artists, creators, and ensembles from Greece and abroad. Paros Park is committed to investing in a different idea for the Cyclades: a culture that's open, participatory, and meaningful, present all year round.

Festival at the Park 2026

For the 17th year, the Festival at the Park presents a rich program for all ages. All events take place in a unique natural setting of protected ecological and geological significance, where the experience of art is directly linked to the landscape, the sea, and the memory of the place. Artistic direction by Themistoklis Karpodinis.

This year's lineup features important artists and creators from Greece and abroad, with music ranging from jazz and improvisational forms to contemporary Greek song, opera, world music, and Mediterranean traditions.

Martha Frintzila and the Kubara Project open the festival, while Alkistis Protopsalti and Nikos Portokaloglou meet in one of the summer's most anticipated concerts. Markus Stockhausen, in collaboration with Vassilis Rakopoulos, presents "Music of the Stars", while the anniversary "Opera Under the Stars" marks ten years of appearances. The program is rounded out by concerts from Panos Vlachos, Foteini Velesiotou, Novel 729, and Andreas Polyzogopoulos, while September closes with standout appearances by Dryades Quartet and Lycabettus Ensemble.

Highlights of the theater program include the international production of «Medea» by Euripides, «The Kalpides» by Stratis Myrivilis, and, for young and old alike, the beloved «Mr Stink» by David Walliams. At the same time, this year the Cine Enastron, Paros Park's open-air cinema, welcomes audiences from mid-June with a rich program of curated film screenings by Chrysostomakis Laktaridis, offering unforgettable cinema nights under the starry Aegean sky.

On August 28, the traditional festival of Agios Ioannis Detis will take place at the grounds of the historic monastery. Until September, visitors can also visit the photography exhibition «Memories from the Aegean» by Robert A. McCabe at Porto Aoussa in Naoussa.

Visitors to the Park can also tour the permanent exhibition of the Paros Park Museum, discover the walking routes and trails that the Park's team continuously maintains all the way to the iconic Lighthouse of Agios Ioannis Detis, and visit key landmarks of the peninsula, such as the historic monastery of Agios Ioannis Detis and the traditional shipyard.

The Environmental & Cultural Park of Paros, since its founding in 2009, continues to invest in the encounter of culture and environment, aiming to create a pilot model of sustainable development for the islands of the Aegean. A place open to residents, visitors, artists, and new ideas. Because culture on the islands doesn't have to be only seasonal; it can be a way of life.