The Onassis Foundation Cultural Programme

The Onassis Foundation Cultural Programme is the annual performing-arts season of the Onassis Stegi, the Foundation’s building on Syngrou Avenue in Athens, Greece. The Onassis Foundation was established in 1975 from the will of Aristotle Onassis. The Stegi opened to the public in December 2010; the 2026 calendar is its sixteenth full year. The building’s two principal stages are the Main Stage on Syngrou (880 seats, fan-shaped, walnut-clad) and the smaller Upper Stage above it (200 seats, flexible-format).

The Foundation’s programming is organised in three cycles. The winter cycle (January through March) carries international contemporary dance, chamber programmes, and a late-night film series. The spring cycle (April through June) holds the principal commissions and touring co-productions. The summer cycle (July through September) moves to Epidaurus, where the Onassis Stegi has been a principal partner of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival since 2014.

The Foundation also operates the Onassis Library at Athens (rare books and manuscripts, by appointment) and the Onassis Cultural Centre in New York, which holds parallel programming through the summer months. The principal commissions for the 2026 cycle are expected to be announced in the second week of January, with smaller productions scheduled on a rolling basis through the year.