IKARIA state of mind 2026: eight days, one island, many ways to listen

From 13 to 20 August 2026, IKARIA State of Mind returns to Ikaria for its third edition, unfolding across the island through music, sound, cinema, storytelling, workshops, walks and site-specific experiences.

More than a conventional festival built around a single venue or stage, IKARIA State of Mind moves from place to place, inviting audiences to experience the island itself as part of the programme.

Cafés, gardens, a winery, a watermill, natural landscapes and unexpected locations become temporary meeting points for artists, residents and visitors. Music moves alongside storytelling, cinema and literature. Sound becomes a way of discovering a landscape. And the pace of the programme follows, quite intentionally, the pace of Ikaria.

For us at MESO, this is also what makes the project special: the cultural experience is not simply brought to a place; it is developed through the place, its people and its particular rhythm.

The 2026 edition brings together artists and contributors working across ambient, jazz, electronic music, sound art and multidisciplinary practices, alongside locally rooted storytelling and participatory activities. The official festival channels describe this year's programme as eight days of encounters across Ikaria, with the island itself remaining at the centre of the experience.

Programme 2026

Some places change you

IKARIA State of Mind grew from a relationship with Ikaria in which the island is not treated simply as scenery. Its locations, communities, landscape and sense of time are part of the project's starting point.

This year again, the idea is to create occasions to listen, meet, discover and experience the island differently, whether through a concert at sunset, a story in the morning, a walk focused on sound, an animation screening, a workshop or an encounter somewhere that might otherwise never become a cultural venue.

The festival takes place 13–20 August 2026 across different locations in Ikaria. The organisers have also announced free admission to the programme.

IKARIA State of Mind is organised by MESO Events Hub, with the support and funding of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

Follow IKARIA State of Mind
Instagram: @ikariastateofmind
Facebook: Ikaria State of Mind

Partner / collaborator
ABR – Alternative Brains Rule

Instagram: @alternativebrainsrule
Facebook: ABR – Alternative Brains Rule

IKARIA STATE OF MIND 2026
13–20 August · Ikaria, Greece
Music · Cinema · Workshops · Installations · Walks · Storytelling