Greece's foremost cultural festival and one of the oldest performing arts festivals in Europe (since 1955), the Athens Epidaurus Festival each year presents numerous internationally acclaimed theatre, dance and music acts, attracting large audiences from around the world. Over the years, audiences have enjoyed celebrated performances, ranging from Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Leonidas Kavakos, Sting, Rudolf Nureyev, Maurice Béjart, Pina Bausch, Dimitris Papaioannou, Karolos Koun, Romeo Castellucci, Thomas Ostermeier, Volksbühne and Lefteris Vogiatzis, to name but a few.