Interdisciplinary art • site-specific projects • art–science collaboration • cultural initiatives
KALLIERGON syn seeks to leave a lasting imprint on culture by opening paths of thought, creation and collaboration, paths that remain open and continue to be walked
Because creation begins with syn, together
Festival Programme
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF KAZANTZAKIS AND ZORBAS
Land, People and Freedom in Kazantzakis’ Mani
Stoupa, West Mani, 25–27 September 2026
The programme is continuously evolving and may be updated with additional activities or minor changes prior to the festival. For the latest information, please follow the festival's official website.
Where life became literature and literature became myth
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF KAZANTZAKIS AND ZORBAS
Land, People and Freedom in Kazantzakis’ Mani
Stoupa, West Mani, 25–27 September 2026
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
FREE ADMISSION
All festival events and activities are free and open to the public.
The festival is the result of a collective effort that brings together local businesses, cultural institutions, artists and residents of Stoupa and the wider West Mani region. It develops through collaborations and partnerships that share its vision for highlighting place, memory and contemporary creativity. Those who wish to connect with the festival or contribute to its implementation are welcome to contact the festival team. Each new collaboration becomes part of a shared effort to shape a contemporary cultural experience that celebrates the place, its people and their stories.
Ongoing Activities Throughout the Festival
The parallel activities create an open cultural landscape that brings the place to life throughout the festival. Each visitor is invited to follow their own path, gradually discovering people, stories, memories and creative experiences. Together with the main programme, they form a unified festival experience where art, history, literature, participation and the everyday life of Stoupa meet and engage in dialogue.
Documentary Screenings in Continuous Rotation
"Kazantzakis & Zorbas – Stoupa 1965"
Producer: Ilias Pergantis
Director: Kostas Tsagaris
Archive: Giannis & Maria Theodorakea
NOTE: The documentary focuses on the collaboration and shared life of Nikos Kazantzakis and George Zorbas, the real-life inspiration behind the protagonist of Kazantzakis’ famous novel, in the Prastova area of Mani, Messenia. It explores the period during which Kazantzakis lived in Stoupa (around 1917), while Zorbas worked as foreman at the lignite mine in Prastova—an experience that later became the foundation for the novel Zorba the Greek.
The documentary was screened with English subtitles at the festival “Kazantzakis & Zorbas in Stoupa – 100+1 Years Later” (September 2018), organized by the NARTURA Cultural Association.
The archival material is based on the archive of Giannis and Maria Theodorakea and on a screenplay by Giannis Anapliotis, author of the book The Real Zorbas and Nikos Kazantzakis.
Screenings will take place throughout the festival in selected communal spaces of local businesses and accommodation providers participating in the event.
Venues and screening schedules will be announced prior to the festival.
Interactive Participation Points
Book Exhibition
Works by Nikos Kazantzakis and related publications. The venues hosting the exhibition will be announced soon.
Art Exhibition in Public Space
Registration deadline: 23 August 2026 Learn more →
An art exhibition unfolding across selected, publicly accessible venues along the coastal zone of Stoupa, in collaboration with the local business community, engaging in a dialogue with the place where the literary world of Zorba the Greek was born.
Photography Exhibition
Archival photographic material from the area. The venues hosting the exhibition will be announced soon.
Participation of local businesses and experiential activities showcasing the flavours, aromas and natural products of Mani
Student Field Research: "The Young Researchers of Stoupa"
A participatory initiative inviting school communities to explore and document present-day Stoupa through the perspective of Kazantzakis and Zorbas.
Correspondence with Nikos and George
A dialogue that continues through letters
An open invitation to individuals, groups and communities from Greece and around the world to write a personal letter to Nikos Kazantzakis or George Zorbas. The initiative evolves through different forms of participation, gradually building a continuously expanding archive of letters.
First Participation Activity of Correspondence with Nikos and George
Experiential Postal Installation: "Letter to Nikos and George" Learn more →
Write a short letter -in both Greek and English- to Nikos Kazantzakis or George Zorbas and leave it in one of the festival's special letterboxes. A participatory activity that transforms writing into an act of memory, dialogue and personal expression.
The letterboxes will be installed several days before the opening of the festival, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to leave their own message to Nikos and George. The exact locations will be announced soon.
These activities form the living backdrop of the festival, within which the scheduled events unfold.
Detailed Programme
This is an interactive programme. Click on the underlined names and titles to discover more.
Friday, 25 September 2026
10:30 – 12:30 Stoupa Beach
Hosted by STOUPA Restaurant
Photography Workshop
"In the Footsteps of Kazantzakis and Zorbas: Stoupa Today"
In collaboration with the 3rd Kardamili Art Doc Festival and the Kalamata Creative Documentary Centre
An introduction to photography as language, storytelling and narrative expression. The workshop explores the photographer's preparation, their relationship with the subject, and the purpose of the photographic act. A guided photographic walk and on-site discussion of participants' photographs will follow.
Facilitator:
Alexandros Philippidis, Photographer
Free participation upon registration
Registration opens on September 10, 2026. Further details will be announced through the festival's official communication channels. Learn more →
17:30 Stoupa Beach to Kalogria Beach (Official Festival Opening)
Featuring Kimvala Samba Drumming Group
With the kind participation of the group
Led by Dawn Harney
A musical walking experience with stops along the route
Starting point: Stoupa Mural (south of Stoupa Beach)
End point: White Houses
18:15 – 18:50 Kalogria Beach to Stoupa Beach
Musical Welcome to Stoupa
Featuring the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra of West Mani
Conductor: Tasos Drambalis
The orchestra participates courtesy of the Municipality of West Mani.
Starting point: Bust of Nikos Kazantzakis
End point: Kazantzakis–Zorbas Mural
18:50 – 19:00 Τhroughout Stoupa
OPA – A Collective Act
A simultaneous participatory experience taking place throughout Stoupa
A brief but powerful moment of collective activation, where the music of Zorba becomes a shared pulse and the place comes alive through participation. Residents and visitors are invited to join spontaneously, transforming the moment into a shared experience of freedom.
19:00 – 21:00 Τhroughout Stoupa and Kalogria, at selected locations
Music and Open Participatory Activities
Following "OPA", the beaches remain vibrant through live music, dancing, singing, improvisation and participatory activities that invite visitors to express themselves freely through music.
With the kind participation of the two cultural groups:
Lefkippos Dance Association & Kaleidoscope – Centre for Culture, Studies and Arts of Epirus
The invitation remains open to all who wish to share in the music, dance and joy of participation.
21:30 – 23:30 Kalogria Beach
Hosted by Kalogria Restaurant
Film Screening
"The Life and Times of the Real George Zorbas" (2019–2020)
Directed by Babis Tsokas
With English subtitles
Saturday, 26 September 2026
10:00 – 11:30 Stoupa - Kalogria Waterfront
An Art Walk
We walk from Stoupa to Kalogria, allowing art to unfold its own narratives. History and literature, memory, intangible cultural heritage and the natural landscape enter into dialogue with the world of Nikos Kazantzakis and George Zorbas.
Along the way, we listen to the voices of the place with Dr Georgia Kakourou-Chroni, former Curator of the National Gallery of Greece and Member of the Board of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis (Greece Branch).
11:35 – 12:30 Kalogria Beach
Designated Area (site of Kazantzakis' hut, southern end of Kalogria Beach)
Alternative Readings
Moments of Literature at the Site of Kazantzakis' Hut
Literary readings presented on the rock that becomes a place of spoken word.
12:35 – 17:15 Stoupa – Kalogria Waterfront
Discover the Stoupa of Kazantzakis and Zorbas
The festival's exhibitions, artistic interventions and thematic routes remain open to the public.
Using the QR points, explore the area, discover the places connected with Nikos Kazantzakis and George Zorbas, access archival material, photographs and audiovisual content, and create your own personal journey through Stoupa.
17:30 – 18:45 Stoupa Beach
Hosted by Patriko Café & Pastry Shop
"The Relevance of Kazantzakis Today"
A conversation presented by Mani Lit Fest
Led by Jon Thompson, in conversation with Maklena Nika, Kelvin Corcoran and Pamela Garelick.
Mani Lit Fest is an independent international literary festival that has taken place annually in Stoupa since 2018. Visit the website manilitfest.com for details of this year's event.
Mani Through the Senses
A series of participatory experiences inviting residents and visitors to discover Mani through their senses.
19:00 – 19:30 Stoupa Beach
Outside "Ta 5 Aderfia" Tavern
With the special kind support of "Ta 5 Aderfia" Tavern
Flavours of Mani
Traditional outdoor preparation of lalaggia, Mani's traditional fried dough delicacy.
This activity highlights traditional knowledge, practices and skills rooted in the everyday life and cultural heritage of Mani.
19:30 – 20:00 Stoupa Beach
Between AROA Cafe-Bistro and the Kazantzakis–Zorbas mural
Smell & Touch: Discover the Herbs of Mani
An interactive herb-identification activity guided by smell and touch.
Learn about the herbs of Mani and their traditional uses, then put your senses to the test by identifying them through touch and smell. All participants receive the commemorative sticker "Honorary Herbal Explorer"
20:30 – 21:00 Kalogria Beach
Designated Area (site of Kazantzakis' hut, southern end of Kalogria Beach)
Theatre and Dance Performance
With the kind participation of Kaleidoscope – Centre for Culture, Studies and Arts of Epirus
An original theatre-and-dance performance inspired by the philosophy, vitality and spirit of Nikos Kazantzakis' work.
21:10 – 21:20 Kalogria Beach
3D Projection Mapping
"The Living Narrative of the Landscape"
Designated Area (site of Kazantzakis' hut, southern end of Kalogria Beach)
Digital Creation: Kostis Emmanouilidis
Sound Design: Arsen Kanatsis
A contemporary visual intervention transforming the landscape into a storytelling surface through image, light and sound.
21:45 – 23:45 Kalogria Beach (The exact venue will be announced soon.)
Musical Gathering
"Where Horizons Meet"
As night falls over Kalogria Bay, people of different ages, backgrounds and musical paths gather to share songs and melodies in a simple, intimate music circle, much like those that arise naturally among friends.
Anyone wishing to join with their voice or a musical instrument is warmly welcome to become part of the evening.
Sunday, 27 September 2026
10:00 – 11:30 Kalogria Beach
Starting point: the three white houses, at the northern end of Kalogria Beach
Guided Walk
"In the Footsteps of Kazantzakis and Zorbas"
11:40 – 12:10 Kalogria Beach
Designated Area (site of Kazantzakis' hut, southern end of Kalogria Beach)
"Sto Perigiali to Kryfo" (Arnisi)
With the kind participation of Mani Community Choir
The Mani Community Choir is an open, intercultural choir that brings together people of different nationalities who have made Mani their permanent or seasonal home. The choir invites residents and visitors to join in a community singing of the iconic song "Sto Perigiali to Kryfo" (Arnisi), with lyrics by George Seferis and music by Mikis Theodorakis.
Whether you choose to sing along or simply listen, everyone is warmly invited to share this special musical moment.
Choir Director: Di McNeish
12:10 – 13:15 Kalogria Beach
First Official Presentation of the Stoupa Ideogram
A contemporary symbol connecting place, memory and human experience.
Conceived and created by Vasiliki Kateri
First Official Book Presentation
"Nikos Kazantzakis and George Zorbas: Stoupa Remembers - AUTHENTIC TESTIMONIES"
Author: Katerina Exarchoulea-Georgilea
Publisher: NARTURA Cultural Association
Speakers:
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Dr Konstantinos Kosteas, Philologist and Editor of the publication
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Dr Maklena Nika, Poet and Associate Professor of Philology, University of Tirana
A discussion with the audience will follow.
18:00 – 18:30 From Stoupa Beach to Kalogria Beach
Starting point: Kazantzakis–Zorbas Mural
End point: Bust of Nikos Kazantzakis
The festival incorporates the initiative of NARTURA Cultural Association, which for the fourth consecutive year supports the national Race for the Cure movement through a distinctive walk-and-run event.
18:45 – 20:30 Stoupa Beach
Site-Specific Musical Performance
"From Sunset into Deep Twilight"
Additional musicians joining the ensemble will be announced gradually as the festival approaches.
21:45 Stoupa Beach
3D Waterscreen Projection (Closing Event)
The seascape becomes a liquid screen, a canvas and a storyteller. Images, light and moving visual elements are projected onto a veil of water, creating a unique three-dimensional experience that connects place, memory and imagination.
Digital Creation: Kostis Emmanouilidis
Sound Design: Arsen Kanatsis
* At the site where Nikos Kazantzakis’ hut once stood, on the southern side of Kalogria Beach, an artistic and botanical amphitheatrical park was created by sculptor Alexis Safaris. The project was completed in 2018 thanks to the artist’s generous voluntary contribution and the support of local organisations and members of the local community.
UNDER THE AUSPICES AND IN COLLABORATION WITHMunicipality of West Mani
SUPPORTED BY
