Release Athens Launches Sofia Festival in 2027
Greek music festival Release Athens has announced its expansion into Bulgaria with the launch of Release Sofia in 2027, marking the festival`s first international expansion since its establishment in 2016.
The new event will take place at Sofia Live Park, a new festival venue located in the park of Vasil Levski Airport in the Bulgarian capital.
Operating under the concept "One Festival – Two Cities," the organisers aim to develop a festival programme combining international touring artists with local talent.
A decade of growth in Greece
Founded in 2016 by a team associated with Greek concert promoter Fuzz Productions, Release Athens has grown into one of Greece`s major summer music events.
Unlike traditional weekend festivals, Release Athens operates as a series of concert days spread across June and July, presenting international artists from rock, metal, alternative, electronic and pop music.
According to the organisers, the festival has attracted more than one million visitors and presented over 260 performances, including more than 150 by international artists.
Previous editions have featured Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Slipknot, The Prodigy, Kylie Minogue, Judas Priest, Pulp, Fontaines D.C. and Liam Gallagher.
The expansion into Bulgaria coincides with changes to the festival`s operations in Greece. After ten years at Plateia Nerou on the Athens waterfront, Release Athens will relocate to the larger Markopoulo Complex in 2027.
Connecting two live music markets
The organisers see the Sofia expansion as an opportunity to strengthen connections between the Greek and Bulgarian live music markets and create additional touring opportunities for international artists.
John Mirabitas, General Manager of Release Athens Festival, comments:
“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.”
The organisers have not yet announced the dates or artist line-up for Release Sofia 2027. Further programme and ticketing information is expected to follow.