Now in its fourth year,
Syn Festival Edinburgh will take place at a range of venues across the city from 9-19 March.
With events scheduled for the city’s Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Adam House and Teviot Row House, the festival is set to showcase a variety of innovative and exciting performing arts including photography exhibitions, film showings, theatre, dance and live music.
The event is organised by a voluntary committee made up of nearly all Greek nationals currently residing in Edinburgh. The programme across the 10 days has a distinct Greek theme and celebrates many aspects of the country’s culture along with its close ties to Scotland.
Director Kostis Vrettos, one of the many driving forces behind the festival’s growth in the last four years, moved to Edinburgh in 2014 after completing studies at Ionian University in Corfu. He undertook an
MSc degree in International Events and Festival Management at Edinburgh Napier, graduating last year, and it was during his time at the University that the team came together to make the festival a reality. Now, as it enters its fourth year, he is hoping for it to be the biggest and best one yet.
He said: “We’ve been working hard to devise a programme of events that is packed full of a variety of interesting and stimulating exhibitions and performances and we are really looking forward to this week's launch.
“Syn Festival is a purely volunteer-led organisation that is open to individuals from all different ethnic and professional backgrounds. Its purpose is to create a space where members of the vibrant community of artists in Scotland can communicate their work, share their skills and experience, network and expand their audience. There is obviously a strong Greek theme across its events but it isn’t solely focused on one country; it’s inclusive of all.
“Edinburgh Napier has had a big role to play in the success of the festival so far. The majority of the organising team was brought together through various studies at the University and we are also always supported by a large number of volunteers from the University year-on-year. I also studied there myself and have fond memories of me time there; it’s been a fantastic resource for us all.”