Welcome to the New Prespas Festival

The "New Prespas Festival: the Ladies of the Lakes" is a project that principally aims to highlight the region’s rich cultural heritage and resources, as well as considerably enhance its modern artistic dynamics through the establishment of a new landmark institution, the “Prespas International Festival”. Coherent to the objectives of the 18month programme of the European Council , the project will feature and feed on, the combined efforts of three unanimously acclaimed parties: the Cultural Organization of the Prespas (Greece), the Antique Drama Festival STOBI (ADF STOBI – Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and the General Secretariat for Gender Equality of Greece. 

Project activities are expected to bring into effect a number of outputs and products. First and foremost, the project will lead to the establishment of a solid managing and governing body to which all future activities and procedures will be referenced and modeled. Secondly, the project will effect the implementation of diverse cultural activities, spanning from poetry readings to theatrical productions and the commission of musical compositions that will premiere during the festival. All invited artists will be acclaimed and all cultural activities will have to meet criteria of quality and content to allow their staging. Thirdly, the project will host an international symposium focusing on women, which will bear the title “Women of the Prespas – women of the world”, which will invite prestigious speakers, together with the production of a short film: "From Florina to Bitola: the female soul of the lands by the lakes".

Fourthly, a site will be created to provide news on the project’s programmed activities. The portal will be uploading well-researched data and documentation on the region’s heritage and will also serve to provide up to date information on artistic activities throughout Greece and the IPA country. Fifth, a hardcover book focusing on the woman figure evidenced in the region’s past and present will be published in English and will effectively be distributed to leading public and university libraries throughout the world. Finally, the project will be advertised through the creation of posters, prospectuses, television spots, radio spots and social media blogging.