The Greece Guides

Philippi Festival 2026: Ancient Theatre, Northern Greece

· 2 min read Travel News
Kavala harbour with its Ottoman aqueduct and Byzantine fortress above the old town

Contents

  1. What’s in the Programme
  2. Getting to Philippi and Kavala
  3. Planning Your Visit

The 69th Philippi Festival is running now and continues through 7 September 2026. Performances take place at the ancient theatre of Philippi, an open-air stone amphitheatre dating to the 4th century BC and located just outside the city of Kavala in northern Greece.

The festival has been held at this site since 1957, making it one of the longest-running summer cultural events in Greece. Its setting alone distinguishes it: Philippi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and watching a performance of ancient Greek tragedy in the theatre where the battles that ended the Roman Republic were fought nearby is an experience hard to find elsewhere.

What’s in the Programme

The 2026 programme spans ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, contemporary theatre, classical music concerts, and dance. Greek-language productions dominate the drama programme, though some international companies perform in their own languages with surtitles.

Ancient drama is the festival’s core identity. Performances of Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes in the original ancient theatre context draw audiences who come specifically for this combination of text and place. The acoustics of the ancient theatre — unassisted by modern amplification for most productions — are a feature, not a limitation.

Getting to Philippi and Kavala

Kavala is connected to Athens by direct flights (approximately one hour) and by a long-distance bus service. International arrivals can fly into Kavala International Airport “Alexander the Great”, which has connections to several European cities. The ancient theatre of Philippi is 15km west of Kavala, reachable by local bus or taxi.

Thessaloniki is 160km to the west and makes a practical base for travellers combining the Philippi Festival with broader exploration of northern Greece. The drive between the two cities takes under two hours.

Planning Your Visit

Tickets for individual performances are available through the festival’s official website and at the Kavala Tourism Office. Evening performances typically start at 9pm in July and 8:30pm in August as daylight hours shorten. Bring a layer — stone theatres hold the day’s warmth into the early evening but can become cool by 11pm.

The Philippi archaeological site is open to visitors independently of festival dates, so even if your travel doesn’t align with a performance, the theatre, forum, and early Christian basilicas are worth a half-day visit.