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Thursday 02 Apr 2026
In this text, we’d like to say a few words about the Musical Yards and their connection to the region of Ai Giannis. Furthermore, we’d like to explain why the Musical Yards will not be held there this year.
The Musical Yards is a music festival that has been associated with Ai Giannis for thirteen years now. It’s been associated with the residents who opened their homes and yards to welcome the seminars, with the terraces that were generously provided to host the music, and with the courtyard of Ai Giannis, where countless concerts have been held.
The organization started small and gradually grew with the addition of people who supported it with their ideas and hard work. Each year, a different group of people brings them to life: members of the Citizens’ Movement organizing committee, residents of Ai Giannis who generously offer their yards and homes, and participants, both students and teachers.
Thus, gradually, the culture of the Musical Yards spread, always developing around the values of self-organization, justice, and freedom of expression, which, after all, already existed in the Ikarian community. It was upon these that they were founded, rooted, and flourished successfully.
At the Musical Yards, friendships, joy, love, laughter, and emotion are born. Every year, we are left with an indescribable sweetness from the joy of the music that brings us together. The students’ participation in the self-management of the space that has hosted us for thirteen years now has been given generously and without hesitation. The ideals we have been striving to promote and strengthen all these years—those of self-organization, solidarity, inclusivity, and respect for nature—were evident more than ever among the people who participated in last year’s Musical Yards.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the community of Ai Giannis shared these ideals.
After the conclusion of last year’s workshops, a series of angry phone calls began from a resident to members of our committee. Subsequently, the community of Ai Giannis invited us to a meeting. During the meeting, we discovered that the same dissatisfaction was also stemming from and/or being instigated by another resident.
Specifically, their anger and dissatisfaction were provoked by the presence at the concert venue of the Palestinian flag and posters condemning the genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government, by a poster calling for an event regarding the criminal train accident of Tempi, and by the presence of gay people at the venue.
Members of our group who attended the meeting were subjected to verbal abuse and violence, disparagement, and threats, while being subjected to a homophobic and racist tirade. The two residents used the fact that the seminars were being held in a sacred church space, where, in their opinion, there is no place for political messages and “deviant” sexuality as a pretext for their behavior.
This irrational and violent behavior took us by surprise, but also surprised the other residents who were present, as it came unexpectedly from people who have been hosting the seminars in their homes for years now, causing us distress, disappointment, and anger.
The Musical Yards are not just the space of Ai Giannis. They are a living entity shaped by the people who believe in them. It can breathe, change, move, and grow.
We have therefore decided that this year’s Musical Yards will not take place at Ai Giannis.
The reasons that led us to this decision are political, ethical, and emotional:
Our stance against authoritarian behavior of this kind is unwavering. The festival of Musical Yards reflects our political and social convictions, serving as a space for their clear expression, and we will not allow it to be silenced.
We dream of and will always fight for a free, inclusive, and safe society. Music is not merely entertainment. Through music, a common space is created for all people, without divisions. Through music, peoples and cultures unite.
But we are not leaving solely to preserve the community of the Musical Yards, but also all the sweet emotions and experiences of the thirteen years that preceded them. To safeguard their memories and legacy.
Every moment of these thirteen years is priceless to us. We are grateful for all the years of hospitality, the open homes, the open courtyards, and the warm hearts.
We will continue with the same enthusiasm in new neighborhoods.
The Musical Yards is a music festival that has been associated with Ai Giannis for thirteen years now. It’s been associated with the residents who opened their homes and yards to welcome the seminars, with the terraces that were generously provided to host the music, and with the courtyard of Ai Giannis, where countless concerts have been held.
The organization started small and gradually grew with the addition of people who supported it with their ideas and hard work. Each year, a different group of people brings them to life: members of the Citizens’ Movement organizing committee, residents of Ai Giannis who generously offer their yards and homes, and participants, both students and teachers.
Thus, gradually, the culture of the Musical Yards spread, always developing around the values of self-organization, justice, and freedom of expression, which, after all, already existed in the Ikarian community. It was upon these that they were founded, rooted, and flourished successfully.
At the Musical Yards, friendships, joy, love, laughter, and emotion are born. Every year, we are left with an indescribable sweetness from the joy of the music that brings us together. The students’ participation in the self-management of the space that has hosted us for thirteen years now has been given generously and without hesitation. The ideals we have been striving to promote and strengthen all these years—those of self-organization, solidarity, inclusivity, and respect for nature—were evident more than ever among the people who participated in last year’s Musical Yards.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the community of Ai Giannis shared these ideals.
After the conclusion of last year’s workshops, a series of angry phone calls began from a resident to members of our committee. Subsequently, the community of Ai Giannis invited us to a meeting. During the meeting, we discovered that the same dissatisfaction was also stemming from and/or being instigated by another resident.
Specifically, their anger and dissatisfaction were provoked by the presence at the concert venue of the Palestinian flag and posters condemning the genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government, by a poster calling for an event regarding the criminal train accident of Tempi, and by the presence of gay people at the venue.
Members of our group who attended the meeting were subjected to verbal abuse and violence, disparagement, and threats, while being subjected to a homophobic and racist tirade. The two residents used the fact that the seminars were being held in a sacred church space, where, in their opinion, there is no place for political messages and “deviant” sexuality as a pretext for their behavior.
This irrational and violent behavior took us by surprise, but also surprised the other residents who were present, as it came unexpectedly from people who have been hosting the seminars in their homes for years now, causing us distress, disappointment, and anger.
The Musical Yards are not just the space of Ai Giannis. They are a living entity shaped by the people who believe in them. It can breathe, change, move, and grow.
We have therefore decided that this year’s Musical Yards will not take place at Ai Giannis.
The reasons that led us to this decision are political, ethical, and emotional:
Our stance against authoritarian behavior of this kind is unwavering. The festival of Musical Yards reflects our political and social convictions, serving as a space for their clear expression, and we will not allow it to be silenced.
We dream of and will always fight for a free, inclusive, and safe society. Music is not merely entertainment. Through music, a common space is created for all people, without divisions. Through music, peoples and cultures unite.
But we are not leaving solely to preserve the community of the Musical Yards, but also all the sweet emotions and experiences of the thirteen years that preceded them. To safeguard their memories and legacy.
Every moment of these thirteen years is priceless to us. We are grateful for all the years of hospitality, the open homes, the open courtyards, and the warm hearts.
We will continue with the same enthusiasm in new neighborhoods.