SNF Nostos 2026 is around the corner. Here’s what you need to know!
June and SNF Nostos 2026 are closer than you think. Here’s the most important information in one place!
In a nutshell, SNF Nostos 2026 is a public event open to all that celebrates the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s (SNF) 30-year grantmaking journey. It will take place from June 21–28 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, with additional events hosted at the three new SNF hospitals under construction in Komotini, Thessaloniki, and Sparta. Our close partner iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development) and a Youth Advisory Committee of young people from around the world are helping shape an event with “humanity at the core.” The program includes conversation, performance, art, music, movement, and other facets of what it means to be human.
Discussion
Conversations at SNF Nostos 2026 will reflect the wide-ranging nature of SNF’s grantmaking across arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. From June 22 to 26, these will take place within the framework of the SNF Nostos Conference.
During the first four days, the stage belongs to organizations SNF has partnered with over the years, with a program built through an open call inviting grantee-partners to shape the program together with us. Drawing on more than 250 proposals and featuring over 200 contributors (so far) with 130 hours of programming, they will explore timely issues related to different aspects of their—and by extension our—work at what we’ve dubbed the House of Arts & Culture, the House of Civics & Education, the House of Health & Sports, and the House of the Future.
The discussions culminate on Friday, June 26, when SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos will serve as host and interlocutor throughout the day.
During these days, figures from a wide range of fields have been invited to share their perspectives, ideas, and talents:
- Emmy Award-winning executive Noopur Agarwal
- Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Physicist Asimina Arvanitaki
- MIT AI lab head Rodney Brooks
- Actor Michael Chiklis
- Comedian John Cleese
- Actor Willem Dafoe
- Pulitzer Center President Lisa Gibbs
- Bestselling author Karen Hao
- Human rights champion Radwa Hosny
- Pole vault recordholder Emmanouil "Manolo" Karalis
- Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov
- Composer Giorgos Koumendakis
- Anti-trafficking activist Sunitha Krishnan
- Historian Mark Mazower
- K-pop star Eric Nam
- Academy Award-nominated director Nisha Pahuja
- Actor Maisie Richardson-Sellers
- Computer scientist Francesca Rossi
- Former US House of Representatives member John Sarbanes
- Author Ersi Sotiropoulos
- HRH Princess Ghida Talal
- Civic tech activist Rose Njeri Tunguru
- Writer and actor Nia Vardalos
- Comedian Katerina Vrana
- And many more
The day will also feature an intergenerational fishbowl conversation entitled “Is Ethos still part of our human identity?” from SNF Dialogues in collaboration with the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University introduced by SNF Dialogues Initiative Executive Director and iMEdD Co-Founder Anna Kynthia Bousdoukou.
Music
SNF Nostos has once again joined forces with Release Athens to bring big acts to Greece. On Sunday, June 21, the renowned David Byrne will take the stage at the SNFCC Great Lawn with a spectacular show opened by two bands performing in Greece for the first time: Nation of Language playing synth-pop, and Deadletter art-punk.
On Monday, June 22, also at the SNFCC Great Lawn, Jean-Michel Jarre will deliver a stunning audiovisual performance encapsulating his pioneering career, accompanied by timeless French pop dandy Sébastien Tellier.
On Thursday, June 25, Gorillaz—Damon Albarn’s groundbreaking project—will perform in Greece for the first time at nearby Plateia Nerou, preceded by the legendary Flaming Lips and former Savages frontwoman Jehnny Beth.
On Friday, June 26, it’s your turn in the limelight! Grab a friend and sing along with Choir! Choir! Choir! and Good Job Nicky to keep the energy high!
On Saturday, June 27, The Blessed Madonna, an underground house music superstar, will grace at the SNF Nostos 2026 Up Late Party alongside techno-funk experimenters Octave One.
*To celebrate 30 years of grantmaking, SNF is collaborating with Release Athens to bring music to everyone, and with SNF's support, ticket prices are 40-50% lower than is typical for similar events.
Performances, exhibitions and experience
SNF Nostos 2026 is more verb than noun. Dig into offerings like:
- Mapping the SNF Journey: An interactive experience across 5,700+ grants (June 21 – 28)
- Kafeneio tou Gianni: A digital detox space (June 21 – 28)
- An intercultural music performance by El Sistema Greece (June 22)
- Jazz, neuroscience, and the human community, an engaging discussion and performance showcasing how the shared experience of music transcends cultural divides (June 23)
- An Enemy of the People by Theater of War Productions (June 24)
- SNF x Poli Cool Geography Quiz Special Edition (June 24 & 25)
- The Trials of Atlas, an interactive play (June 25)
- Artefacts of the Future: Ethical Echoes in Medicine, an exhibition by ETH Ζurich (June 21 - 28)
- Signal, Interference, an outdoor arts exhibition by ARTWORKS (June 26)
- Greek National Opera performances: A Streetcar Named Desire (June 21) To have been so close so many times (June 27 & 28) Future Cargo (June 23-28)
- Ithaca – Long Journey Home, a performance based on Cavafy's poem Ithaca by Cerebral Palsy Greece's Tuesday Players Drama Group (June 27)
Get moving together
Physical and mental wellbeing are a big part of the conversation, but we won’t leave it at talk. We’ll put theory into practice with shared athletic experiences:
The SNF Nostos Run (June 23) organized in collaboration with the nonprofit Regeneration & Progress. Registration is open!
Pickup soccer matches and the SNF Nostos Cup (June 22 – 27), set against the backdrop of the World Cup.
That’s just a taste; visit snfnostos.org for a full schedule and all the latest.