The Festival, now a key date in the country’s cultural calendar, was first staged in 1992 by SANI S.A. It was the company’s intention to enrich the tourist experience it already offered — with a high level of responsibility and professionalism — and help it evolve into something more than simple hospitality under the summer sun. The experiment was so successful that it laid the foundations for the Festival to become one of the main events of the Greek summer calendar, featuring prominent performers from the Greek and international musical scene, and eventually expanding to take in representatives of classical music, the visual arts, dance, etc.
In the words of the Festival’s Artistic Director, Olga Tabouris-Babalis, ‘The Sani Festival is a labour of love, it can’t be described in management or marketing terms, does not fit any of the conventional cultural or political patterns. The public enjoy the Festival for the quality of the acts we stage, for our interest in bringing in new and different performers and events, all with the generous support of SANI S.A. This year’s Festival, marking the 20th anniversary of Sani’s involvement in the arts, comes at a very difficult time in our country’s history. People may ask what place the arts and celebrations of the arts have in such dark times. Our answer is that we must carry on building bridges of communication, with people here and abroad, for as long as we can. The Festival is an occasion which provides creative stimulus for many people — and what more can we ask from the arts, in all their forms?’
This year’s programme — despite some minor changes in organization — remains as rich in events as other years, while continuing our commitment to performances and artists who represent something new and different.
http://www.sanifestival.gr./En/Program