Interdisciplinary art • site-specific projects • art–science collaboration • cultural initiatives
We design, curate and deliver cultural initiatives that connect research, creativity and place.
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
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Festival Programme
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF KAZANTZAKIS AND ZORBAS
Land, People and Freedom in Kazantzakis’ Mani
Stoupa, West Mani, 25–27 September 2026
The festival programme has been developed and, where necessary, is adapted to the needs and available resources of the event, while maintaining its core character and philosophy. Minor changes or additions may be made before the festival begins. For the latest information and updates, please follow the festival’s official website.
Where life became literature...Where literature comes to life.
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.
Art Exhibition in Public Space
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.
With the digital participation of Artists in Motion.
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: 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 is now open. Learn more & register →
18:30 – 19:00 Stoupa 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: Kazantzakis–Zorbas Mural (south of Stoupa Beach)
End point: At the northern end of Stoupa Beach, by the bust of Professor Nikos Barbetseas, below STOUPA Restaurant
19:00 Throughout 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.
And the celebration continues...
Following “OPA”, the celebration continues with live music, dancing, singing, improvisation and participatory activities, inviting everyone to join in.
With the kind participation of:
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.
21:00 – 23:00 Kalogria Beach
Kindly 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 Kalogria — Stoupa Waterfront
Starting point: “Almyriki” Tavern (Kalogria Beach)
An Art Walk
A walk from Stoupa to Kalogria allows 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).
11:45 – 13:00 Stoupa Beach: STOUPA Restaurant
- 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
-
Dr Maklena Nika, Poet and Associate Professor of Philology, University of Tirana
A discussion with the audience will follow.
17:30 – 18:45 Stoupa Beach: 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.
19:00 – 19:30 Stoupa Beach
Musical Encounter at Sunset
Featuring: Gogo Raptea, Pierros Kapitsinos, Johny Diskos
A musical journey from distance to encounter, exploring departure and return, separation, memory, love, and the timeless human search for meaning. Voices, sounds, and music from different traditions enter into dialogue with the landscape and the sea of Stoupa at sunset, in an experience poised between the planned and the unpredictable.
19:40 – 20:10 Stoupa Beach — Northern End
At the small plaza with the bust of Professor Nikos Barbetseas, below STOUPA Restaurant
Mani Through the Senses I
Smell & Touch: Discover the Herbs of Mani
An interactive herb-identification activity guided by smell and touch.
Learn about the herbs of Mani then put your senses to the test by identifying them through touch and smell. All participants receive the commemorative sticker "Honorary Herbal Explorer"
Sunday, 27 September 2026
10:00 – 10:30 Kalogria Beach
Starting point: the three white houses, at the northern end of Kalogria Beach
"Kazantzakis and Zorbas in Kalogria: Stories of the Place"
With Katerina Exarchoulea-Georgilea
At the White Houses of Kalogria, next to “Pigi tou Printzipa” (the Prince’s Spring), Katerina Exarchoulea-Georgilea, author of “Nikos Kazantzakis and George Zorbas: Stoupa Remembers – AUTHENTIC TESTIMONIES”, shares stories, memories and first-hand accounts connected with Kazantzakis and Zorbas, revealing traces of their presence that still remain in the place today.
10:40 – 11:10 Kalogria Beach — on the rocks beyond the White Houses, next to “Pigi tou Printzipa” (the Prince’s Spring)
"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
11:15 – 12:00 Kalogria Beach — on the rocks beyond the White Houses, next to “Pigi tou Printzipa” (the Prince’s Spring)
Readings, Differently
Moments of Literature by the Sea. Literary readings on the rocks of Kalogria
12:15 – 19:00 Stoupa – Kalogria Waterfront
Discover the Stoupa of Kazantzakis and Zorbas
Following “Readings, Differently”, visitors can continue exploring the place through the festival’s artistic interventions, points of interest and thematic routes.
Follow the QR markers to 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.
19:00 – 19:20 Stoupa Beach
Outside "Ta 5 Aderfia" Tavern
With the kind support of "Ta 5 Aderfia" Tavern
Mani Through the Senses II
Flavours of Mani
Traditional outdoor preparation of lalaggia, Mani's traditional fried dough delicacy.
A participatory experience inviting residents and visitors to discover Mani through taste. The activity highlights traditional knowledge, practices and skills rooted in the everyday life and cultural heritage of Mani.
19:30 – 20:10 Stoupa Beach to Kalogria Beach
Starting point: Kazantzakis–Zorbas Mural
End point: Bust of Nikos Kazantzakis
As part of the Festival, NARTURA Cultural Association holds, for the fourth consecutive year, its own symbolic walk-and-run in support of ALMA ZOIS Race for the Cure, one week ahead of the nationwide event.
20:30 – 21:00 Stoupa Beach: Enigma Cafe – Cocktail Bar
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.
The performance combines theatrical narration, movement and musicality, capturing the pulse and vitality of Zorbas through a contemporary stage approach.
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO RECORDING
During the festival, photography and video recording will take place at festival activities and their respective locations.
Read the information about photography and video recording during the festival →
IN COLLABORATION WITH
Municipality of West Mani
SUPPORTED BY
