Panathēnea Festival 2026: A meeting point for innovation, business and the arts

Bringing together the worlds of technology, entrepreneurship and creativity, Panathēnea Festival returns from May 27–29 in Athens, welcoming more than 10,000 founders, investors, artists and creatives. Inspired by the spirit of an ancient celebration of ideas, the festival reimagines it for today—where innovation and culture intersect.

For the business and tech community

Designed for investors, startup founders, business and tech professionals, enterprises, researchers and academia, Panathēnea offers a unique platform to explore the future of innovation.

The festival hosts leading figures such as Neil Rimer (Index Ventures), alongside representatives from Sequoia, Atomico, Balderton, Accel and Visionaries Club. Founders from decacorn and unicorn companies including Mati from ElevenLabs, Shuo from Deel, Alan from Fuse Energy and Anastasis from Runway will join industry leaders from NVIDIA, OpenAI, Microsoft and Google, as well as the team behind EU-INC—collectively shaping the next chapter of Europe’s startup ecosystem.

For the creative industries

Panathēnea also speaks directly to filmmakers, musicians, artists, students, record labels and production companies through its dedicated Arts program.

The inaugural Panathēnea Arts stages focus on film and music, featuring masterclasses, screenings, live performances and cross-disciplinary collaborations that reflect today’s global and interconnected creative landscape. A standout presence is Academy Award–winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, joining as the Film headliner.

A city-wide experience

With 70+ side events across Athens, curated 1:1 meetings, and the city itself as an open playground, the festival creates countless opportunities for meaningful connections and new ideas to emerge.

Secure your place and be part of what’s next here.
See you at Panathēnea Festival this May.