VIC

SPASTA Compilation Launch

SPASTA, run by Greek Australian DJ Adriana, is back for its first event of the year, with a compilation celebrating the release of a much-anticipated record.

They will be welcoming London based selector, Donna Leake and one Naarm’s (Melbourne) most revered DJs and promoters, Zjoso.

Returning to Australia for the first time in six years, Donna has a knack for weaving forgotten gems with memorable masterpieces. Her wide-spanning palette is far beyond her years and is expected to take you on a trippy, awe-inspiring four plus hour journey.

To close its biggest party yet, joining will be DJ Zjoso.

Join and celebrate the compilation, which features some of the world’s finest producers including Esa’s Afro – Synth Band, Moving Still, Running Hot, Barbara Boeing and Phil Mil, Vuta and our beloved Amin Payne and Julian Steel.

When: Saturday March 2, 2pm

Where: Fairfield Amphitheatre, Fairfield Park Drive Fairfield, VIC 3078

Bookings: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spasta-compilation-launch-tickets-812717900117?


Eftihia: Life Has Two Doors

The life of Greece’s most famous female lyricist, Eftihia Papagiannopoulou has been brought to life by esteemed writer Helen Yotis, in a musical tribute she has written that will run for one week only on February 14-25.

Directed by Maria Theodorakis, it will feature actor Katerina Kotsonis in the role of Papagiannopoulou. She will present the lyricist’s life in a monologue, accompanied by singer Alkisti Pitsaki, and musicians Jacob Papadopoulos (bouzouki) and Andrew Patterson (piano).

When: Wednesday February 14 to Sunday February 25, various times

Where: La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond St, Carlton 3053

Bookings: whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/eftihia-life-has-two-doors


Oakleigh Greek Food Walking Tour with Lunch & Tastings

Join Kelly from The Hellenic Odyssey for a guided walking tour of Melbourne’s most popular and energetic Greek precinct, Oakleigh.

Get ready to bite into a delicious bougatsa, an iconic sweet of creamy custard between filo pastry. Crunch into the best koulouri outside of Athens. And savour the taste of Greek cheese and yoghurt and much more all from the passionate traders in this bustling neighbourhood.

With each bite, you will learn about Greece’s enticing food culture, its history and its healthy essence. A delicious lunch at a gorgeous traditional restaurant is included, and you will leave having experienced many flavours, taking recipes away with you to create at home.

What’s included: Guided walking tour and commentary throughout – Morning tea at a Greek café – Bakery and deli visits – Lunch, souvlaki – Visit various Greek shops to learn about the most commonly used ingredients and products in the Greek cuisine, including some samples to taste – Cultural visit.

When: Saturday February 17, 11.30am

Where: Meeting point at Oakleigh Railway Station

Bookings: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/oakleigh-greek-food-walking-tour-with-lunch-tastings-tickets-636964466867


Europa! Europa Film Festival

Europa! Europa is back for 2024 with a handpicked selection of entertaining, heartfelt, and thought-provoking films from compelling storytellers and new cinematic voices.

For the third time, the world’s best new European films come to cinemas across Sydney and Melbourne for three weeks of inspiring and entertaining Australian premiere screenings and special events.

Greek film enthusiasts will be treated to six Greek-language films, plus a retrospective of the recent Golden Globe winning Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ work.

Featuring 47 celebrated films from 28 countries, including Cyprus and Greece, screening in Melbourne and Sydney.

The festival’s Greek-language films from various artists are: The Volunteer (2022), Embryo Larva Butterfly (2023) and The Summer with Carmen (2023).

The other three Greek-language films form part of the Lanthimos retrospective and include the black comedy, Dogtooth (2009), Kinetta (1995) and Alps (2011).

While the English-language films of Lanthimos that will be screened are: The Lobster (2015), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and The Favourite (2018).

When: Thursday February 15 to Monday March 11

Where: Melbourne, Classic Cinemas Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas Hawthorn — Sydney, Ritz Cinemas Randwick

Info/Bookings: www.europafilmfestival.com.au


NSW

Greek Night February

Greek/bar eatery Phoenix held a January Greek night last month, it was such a successful night, that they are bringing February’s date forward to the 16th.

Don’t miss out on a fun night celebrating lively Greek culture, delicious dining, dancing and live music.

When: Friday February 16, 7.30pm

Where: Phoenix, Woollahra, 1 Moncur St, Woollahra NSW 2025

Bookings: 02 9363 2608, info@phoenixsydney.com.au

 

Agapi & Other Kinds of Love

The Ancient Greek types of love are revealed via timeless love stories told in rap and spoken word with live musicians.

Based on Plato’s The Symposium, Agapi & Other Kinds of Love begins with Socrates telling a banquet of friends everything he learned from a mysterious lover named: Diotima.

The gods then take the audience on a journey – collapsing time and space to arrive in modern day Athens, where the two reincarnations of the Ancient lovers fall in love (again) in the midst of a riot.

Told by Luka Lesson, and in equal parts a rap concert, poetic musical & classical history lesson, Agapi & Other Kinds of Love shows the audience how love prevails despite the trials and tribulations of the ages. Tickets selling fast.

When: February 29 – March 1, 7pm

Where: Lennox Theatre, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta NSW 2150

Bookings: riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/agapi-other-kinds-of-love

 

Axion Esti

The 42nd Greek Festival of Sydney brings back “Axion Esti,” a collaboration celebrating the works of Mikis Theodorakis and Odysseas Elytis.

The concert features the talents of renowned vocalist Dimitris Basis, internationally acclaimed conductor, composer, and arranger George Ellis, multifaceted artist, Psilacos who is an Associate Lecturer and Protopsaltis Basilios Psilacos, as well as prominent actor Tony Nikolakopoulos as the narrator.

Not many tickets remain, so book now.

When: Saturday May 11, 8pm

Where: City Recital Hall, 2 Angel Pl, Sydney NSW 2000

Bookings: 02 8256 2222, www.cityrecitalhall.com/whats-on/events/axion-esti-worthy-it-is

Europa! Europa is back for 2024 with a handpicked selection of entertaining, heartfelt, and thought-provoking films from compelling storytellers and new cinematic voices. Photo: Europa Europa Film Festival/Facebook

SA

They walk amongst us

George Raftopoulos’s paintings are immediate, responsive and intuitive.

He is a storyteller. In the manner of Aesop, his paintings are modern visual fables with moral lessons; observations of the human condition and more prosaically the vicissitudes of the artist, along with musings on politics, philosophy and life.

The migrant experience pervades. George Raftopoulos mines the Greek myths and psyche of his heritage and his experience growing up Greek in a small Australian country town. His DNA is Greek, His nurture is Australian.

His way of working is cathartic. It’s about George…his story, his history, his search for identity.

No bookings required, free of charge.

When: Thursday February 29 – Saturday March 30, 11am-4pm

Where: Praxis ARTSPACE, 68-72 Gibson St., Bowden SA 5007

Info: festivalhellenika.org.au/event/theywalkamongstus


NIKOTEINI

Greek urban, folk and Anatolian melodies inspired by the traditional, classical and folk modal music of Greece and Turkey.

NIKOTEINI consists of LAVTA (Istanbul lute/politiko laouto) and KANUN (zither/kanonaki) virtuosos Nikos Papageorgiou and Asineth Fotini Kokkala. They are world-class Greek musicians living in Istanbul. They are inspired by the traditional, classical and folk modal music of Greece and Turkey as well as contemporary compositions written especially for them.

Their story started when they began studying music together in 2019. During COVID lockdowns they decided to share their music every Monday on their YouTube channel maintaining contact with their audience. These videos, made with simple technical means as a mobile phone, are essentially a representation of the simplicity and immediacy that represents them.

When: Friday March 1, 8pm

Where: IKAROS HALL, 24 Arthur Street Ikaros Hall Unley, SA 5061

Bookings: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/nikoteini-tickets-806233946437


Goodbye, Lindita

Turning theatre into visual meditation, Goodbye, Lindita is a wordless work from Athens-based Albanian theatre-maker Mario Banushi that comes to Adelaide after a critically acclaimed debut in the National Theatre of Greece Showcase.

This visually striking play tracks the life of a family through death and new birth, with domestic chores tangled up with poetic images and rituals from Balkan traditions. A series of strange events brings to the surface a hidden world of dreams and nightmares, an upside-down reality with its own rules.

At just 24 years old Banushi has been hailed as a rising star of Greek theatre. In Goodbye, Lindita, he works with lighting designer Tasos Paleoroutas and set designer Sotiris Melanos to create an intimate space, bringing together uncanny and everyday elements.

Beautiful and moving, Goodbye, Lindita is a chance to witness a fresh new voice in theatre.

When: Thu Feb 29, 8.30pm, Fri Mar 1, 8.30pm, Sat Mar 2, 5.00pm, Sun Mar 3, 4.00pm

Where: Dunstan Playhouse Adelaide Festival Centre, Festival Dr, Adelaide SA 5000

Bookings: premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=LINDITA24


Adelaide Fringe

Adelaide Fringe is a world-renowned, annual arts festival that celebrates culture, place and artists from across the globe.

Bringing 6,000+ independent artists far and wide to South Australia, Adelaide Fringe is a destination for culture seekers in search for a hive of activity.

There are several shows from Greeks throughout the festival, including:

Dr Ahmed Gets Hitched- My Big Fat Gay Greek Pakistani Wedding – Fifty Shades of Greek – George Zacharopoulos – Greek In The Sheets – Katrina the Real Wog Wife – Heilos – HOMER’S ODYSSEY – A mini musical by Loucas Loizou – Anthony Locascio – Pappou – Effie in Upyourselfness – OnlyGrans

Note some are starting to sell out, so book now.

When: Friday February 16 to Sunday March 17

Where: Various venues across Adelaide

Find a show: adelaidefringe.com.au


AUS WIDE

She’s Not Normal

Cypriot Australian poet, filmmaker and writer Koraly Dimitriadis has announced she’ll be touring her new poetry book, She’s Not Normal, across Australia and New Zealand.

Spanning thirteen years of life the book is divided into chapters or “ways” a woman is considered “not normal”: politically, sexually, feelings about her body, single motherhood, in relationships, politically, identity, race, etc. In a review by Arts Hub, the collection is said to “scream off the page.”

“Dimitriadis’ collection is saying something and it is saying it loud. She’s Not Normal feeds into every deep facet and crevice of what it is like to be Koraly Dimitriadis, but also – a woman, a migrant, a lover and a mother. Whether playing it up for laughs or exposing the grit, it is a collection that allows you to experience everything,” the review read.

She’s Not Normal is available at bookshops and Amazon.

The confirmed events running Australia-wide, as well as in New Zealand and Tasmania from February 3 to June 30 so far include: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Clunes, Hobart and Wellington. More dates to come.

For venues, times and bookings: www.facebook.com/KoralyDimitriadis