Icarus Festival for Dialogue between Cultures

Icarus Festival for Dialogue between Cultures is an international music festival that began in the summer of 2006 in Ikaria.

The festival is an annual event organized by all 3 municipalities of Ikaria, a Greek island in the northern Aegean that bears the name of the mythical flyer Icarus.

Its purpose is to host performances by artists or groups whose music is a product of multicultural participation or inspiration.

The first Festival took place in July 2006. The artistic directors were Vangelis Fampas and Klaudia Delmer.

The groups and artists that have so far participated or will be participating in the Festival's functions, include: Etnika (Malta), L' Ham de Foc (Spain), Motion Trio (Poland), Mimis Plessas - Klaudia Delmer (Greece - Poland), Encardia (Greece - Italy), Tangarto - Tanguero (Greece - Argentina), Maria Bermudez - Chicana Gypsy (USA - Spain), Vassilis Lekkas - Giannis Spathas (Greece), George Psihogios (Greece), Theros - Lamia Bedhioui (Greece - Tunesia) etc.

A brief history of IkariaIn Mythology, the island has been named Ikaria by Hercules after the fall of Icarus into the Icarian Sea, close to the shores of the island (the rock where Icarus fell, can be seen today near Agios Kyrikos).It is also believed that Dionysus was born in Ikaria, in the cavern of Ieron, an amphitheatrical beach close to the village of Faros. Ikaria was also the mythological place of retreat for the goddess Artemis (A temple of Artemis exists in Nas).Ikaria of today is still a land where people do things “in their way”.Hospitality, friendliness and the wisdom of taking things slow are characteristics of the Icarians of today.

External links

* [http://icarus-festival.ikaria.gr/ Official festival web site]
* [http://www.festivalikaros.gr/ 2006 festival web site]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/festivalicarus/ Unofficial festival web site photos video]