Rhodes Old Town hosts Polyphony Festival on 4 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 06:11 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Rhodes Old Town hosts the European Polyphony Festival from 28 September to 10 October 2026, with a musical and historical walk scheduled for 4 October. The medieval centre of Rhodes, Greece, forms the setting for concerts, exhibitions, workshops and outdoor performances during the festival.
European Polyphony Festival runs through 10 October
The eighth European Polyphony Festival brings its programme to Rhodes across fourteen days. The organiser lists classical music, visual arts, cinema, educational projects and guided musical activities, with the Medieval City of Rhodes as a principal setting. The programme is organised by Arts Spontanés and Ars Artis with support from the Municipality of Rhodes and the South Aegean Region.
On 4 October, the festival’s musical and historical walk starts at 7pm from the fountain in Argyrokastro Square. The route continues through the Medieval City, where the Mikrokosmos Choir Octet and Professor Spyros Syropoulos are scheduled to explore the town’s history and the acoustics of its streets and spaces. The 4 October walk programme gives the meeting point, venue and participants together.
The wider programme continues after the walk. A children’s concert is planned for 5 October at the Melina Merkouri Theatre of the Medieval Moat, while the festival’s closing programme on 10 October includes an outdoor aerial music performance by Compagnie Transe Express at Rhodes Town Hall and Eleftherias Square. The organiser’s full 2026 programme states that admission is free to all events, although selected activities require advance booking.
Rhodes Old Town places music inside a World Heritage site
The setting is a fortified historic town whose buildings and streets reflect Hellenistic, Byzantine, Ottoman and Italian layers. The town includes the Palace of the Grand Master, the Street of the Knights, gates, towers and battlements within the medieval walls. The City of Rhodes guide describes the Old Town as an open-air archaeological site and identifies it as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
That history gives the 4 October walk a specific connection to its venue: the organisers are not presenting a concert in an anonymous hall, but a route through streets and squares where the built environment becomes part of the listening experience. The programme’s focus on sound transmission links the festival’s artistic subject to the town’s enclosed lanes, stone surfaces and varied public spaces.
The historic core also remains a living urban district rather than a single museum building. Residents, workshops, religious buildings, shops and public squares share space with archaeological monuments. Visitors therefore encounter a functioning town while moving between the festival’s meeting point and its other venues.
From Argyrokastro Square to the festival finale
The festival’s schedule gives travellers several public events within the current period. The photographic and sound exhibition Résonances runs at the Inn of France until 6 October, while the final outdoor performance is scheduled for 10 October. The programme also includes music workshops for young people and adults on 4 October at the Inn of France.
These activities extend beyond a single evening in the Old Town. They connect music with historical interpretation, visual art, education and open-air performance, while keeping the Medieval City at the centre of the festival’s public identity.
Visiting Rhodes Old Town: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The European Polyphony Festival runs from 28 September to 10 October 2026. The musical and historical walk takes place on 4 October 2026 in the Medieval City.
- The walk meets at the Argyrokastro Square fountain at 7pm on 4 October 2026. Admission to festival events is free, while selected activities require advance booking.
- Rhodes Old Town is in Rhodes, Greece. Local buses connect Rhodes New Town and other parts of the island with the historic centre, and roads and car parks are located outside the city walls.
- The venue includes cobbled streets, fortified walls, steps and uneven historic surfaces. Visitors following the walk should expect movement through an old urban district rather than a level auditorium route.
- Greek is the official language and the euro is the national currency.
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Frequently asked questions about Rhodes Old Town
When does the European Polyphony Festival take place at Rhodes Old Town?
The festival runs from 28 September to 10 October 2026. Its musical and historical walk in the Medieval City takes place on 4 October 2026.
Where is Rhodes Old Town and how do you get there?
Rhodes Old Town is in Rhodes, Greece. Local buses serve the historic centre, while roads and car parks are located outside the walls.
What is Rhodes Old Town?
It is the fortified historic centre of Rhodes, a living urban district and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with medieval, Ottoman and later architectural layers.
