Release Athens Launches Release Sofia
One Festival – Two Cities.
In 2027, Release Athens expands beyond Greece with the launch of Release Sofia, bringing its identity and vision to the Bulgarian capital. The festival will take place at Sofia Live Park, the newest festival venue in the region, located in the park of Vasil Levski Airport.
Since 2016, Release Athens has drawn more than a million people and staged over 260 performances, more than 150 of them by international artists, including Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Slipknot, Rosalía, Pulp, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue, The Prodigy, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Pantera, Gojira, Moby, Fontaines D.C., Dream Theater, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, The Offspring, Limp Bizkit, Alice In Chains and Liam Gallagher. In ten years it has gone from a summer concert series to a fixture on the European festival circuit.
Building on the concept and philosophy behind it, Release is now expanding into a second market, supported by fresh collaborations and an ambition to create new opportunities for cultural exchange and connection across the region.
Drawing on the experience and expertise developed in Athens, Release Sofia will bring major international acts and local artists together, with ambitious line-ups, large-scale productions and high standards across every aspect of the event.
This new chapter takes the journey that began with Release Athens to a neighbouring country, opening up a fresh perspective on the future of live music in our part of the world.
Making Memories Together. Now in Sofia
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John Mirabitas, General Manager, Release Athens Festival:
“Greek and Bulgarian fans have been crossing the border for each other’s concerts for years. That connection already exists — Release Athens and Release Sofia just give it a home.
For artists, it’s a real opportunity to reach audiences in a part of Europe that gets overlooked. For fans, it means seeing major international acts at the scale and production quality they’d expect anywhere else.
What it comes down to is the best of live music, in both cities.”