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The 46th edition of the Art Festival "Demetria" brings a cosmopolitan flair in Thessaloniki with emphasis on urban groups, European aesthetics and lower ticket prices, despite its short duration and low budget. 

As Mayor Yiannis Boutaris has repeatedly said the "Demetra" festival cannot be a "slipshod" festival where everyone can earn money on the back of the municipality. "We want to present things and events that would not otherwise come into our town and large formations which will impress our audience," said Deputy Mayor of Culture Spiros Pengas. 

The art festival "Demetra" started on September 12 with the performance by "Music Circus" (Musical Tour), which will be held inside and in front of the new Palace of Music, featuring 25 musical ensembles including the Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. 

The events will continue nearly a month and a half – until October 25 - and during this period various parts of the city will accommodate music, dance and theater. 

According to Spiros Pengas the budget does not exceed 500,000 euros (300,000 euros from the municipality and 186,000 euros from sponsorship of OPAP (Organization for Football Forecasting)), while last year it was 1,150,000 euros. Tickets will cost 5-10-15 euros and there will be tickets available for students and disabled citizens. This year there will be no invitations at all. 

Standing out from the events are the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra featuring soloists and composers from the Middle East (Palace Music - Thessaloniki, 14/9), the festival "Reworks" (Theatre "VILKA", 16-17/9), performance "Monger" of the Israeli dance troupe Baraka Marshal (Society for Macedonian Studies, 22/9), Puppet Theatre "Mummenschanz" from Switzerland (Society for Macedonian Studies, 24-25/9), the Cyprus Chamber concert pianist Kiprianos Katsaris (University "Aristotle" - Thessaloniki, 26/9), the vegetable orchestra from Vienna "The Vegetable Orchestra" (Music Palace - Thessaloniki, 26-27/9), the National Theatre of Krakow STARY with the work of Bernhard "Ritter, Dene, Voss" (Society for Macedonian Studies, 1-2/9), the most famous and successful Berlin company Schaubunhe with "Third Generation" (Society for Macedonian Studies, 5-6/10), the Belgian contemporary dance troupe "Need Company" ( Society for Macedonian Studies, 8/10), musical performance "The table", where four musicians recreate various musical instruments on a single musical instrument - mass (Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies, 9-10/10), a troupe modern dance Yasmin Godar (Society for Macedonian Studies, 13/10), concert in memory of Gianis Ksenakis, 10 years of his death, with Prodromos Symeonidis on the piano (Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, 14/10), theatrical evening dedicated to Odysseas Elytis (Town Hall, 15/10), concert dedicated to Rose Ashkenazi (University "Aristotle" - Thessaloniki, 17/10), Croatian Chamber Quartet "Rucner String Quartet" (Town Hall, 18/10). 

Under the slogan "Small Festival", from September 20 to October 16, will be presented by local theater troupes, while 15 new theater companies from Thessaloniki present a marathon performance entitled "Census".

The closing ceremony of the 46th edition of Art Festival "Demetra" will be held on October 25, on dock № 3 of the Thessaloniki port with Big Band of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Liddy Hopper group in the rhythm of swing.