Release Athens Festival 2026 Raises the Bar with an Expanded CHAUVET Professional Lighting Setup
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Release Athens Festival once again transformed Athens into an international destination for live music, welcoming thousands of fans to an unforgettable summer filled with top-tier musical performances. This year’s lineup featured internationally acclaimed artists including Gorillaz, David Byrne, Jean-Michel Jarre, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Pet Shop Boys, Megadeth, Moby, The Offspring, Pantera, Helloween, Sabaton, Epica and many more, further cementing the festival’s position as one of Europe’s leading live music events.
Marking this important anniversary, Release Athens Festival once again presented an expanded lighting setup featuring CHAUVET Professional solutions, meeting the demanding requirements of this year’s productions. The 2026 lighting package comprised a total of 200 CHAUVET Professional fixtures:
- 52 × Maverick Storm 1 Flex
- 50 × COLOR STRIKE M
- 48 × Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash
- 36 × COLORado PXL Bar 16
- 10 × Maverick Storm 2 Profile
- 4 × Amhaze Stadium 2X IP
The production setup also included a ChamSys Stadium Connect for controlling the Pre-viz Suite, as well as Capture 2026 Symphony for lighting design and pre-visualization.
“This year’s festival rig was significantly expanded and designed to meet the highest international standards,” said Andreas Paravas, Technical Director. “The addition of the Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash as the primary wash fixtures made a real difference, delivering impressive power, while their narrow beam gave us exceptional flexibility and additional creative options.
“Equally important was the integration of the COLORado PXL Bar 16, which lived up to its reputation as the brightest fixtures in their category. Combined with the Maverick Storm 1 Flex and COLOR STRIKE M, we created an exceptionally rich system, both in terms of the number of sources and overall output. This powerful setup created a welcome headache for the visiting Lighting Designers (LDs) in terms of how to make the most of its capabilities, while also allowing acts performing before sunset to achieve an equally captivating visual result.”
The selection of the new lighting models was based on the strategic decision to invest in cutting-edge technologies from the same manufacturer, CHAUVET Professional. “Its products have consistently been a guarantee for the festival,” explains Andreas Paravas. “This choice gave us two key advantages: first, absolute reliability and consistency in the field, and second, the necessary color and visual uniformity of the final result, regardless of which fixture was in operation.”
Preparation for the festival began several months in advance, with the final lighting design locked in as early as March. The first photorealistic 3D visualizations were completed at that stage, with the rig fully integrated into the 3D model of Plateia Nerou. This visual material formed part of the official technical info pack sent to international productions, giving visiting LDs a comprehensive view of the venue and rig months before their arrival in Athens.
From that stage through to implementation, the technical plan remained under continuous development and updating, accurately documenting every construction detail, patch and custom change. Separate versions of the plan were also developed for each festival day, allowing the additional equipment required by each headliner to be incorporated accurately.
Capture 2026 Symphony was a key part of the preparation process, having been used from the earliest stages for pre-visualization of the stage and venue. One of this year’s innovations was the creation of a standalone Capture presentation, allowing partners and LDs who did not have access to the software to freely navigate the 3D environment and interact with the lighting teams, gaining a direct understanding of the rig’s capabilities.
The file was updated in real time right up to the final moment, with updates to the patch, fixture placement and photometrics, eliminating discrepancies between the pre-viz and reality. This allowed designers working in Capture to carry out pre-programming before arriving onsite, saving valuable time onsite.
One of the most significant innovations at Release Athens 2026 was the creation of a fully equipped Pre-viz Suite. Featuring high-end hardware, including RTX 5090 / Ryzen 9 workstations, 65” UHD displays, a ChamSys Stadium Connect and high-end laptops, the suite provided productions with a dedicated space for programming and preparation away from the main stage.
“During a schedule of continuous, demanding days, we managed to reduce the exhausting overnight sessions on stage, giving the lighting teams for the different acts the opportunity to program in parallel during the day,” said Andreas Paravas.
The pre-visualization capability was also extended to Front of House (FOH) through mobile pre-viz setups. This allowed LDs with access to the physical rig to immediately verify their beams under full daylight conditions, while those who no longer had access to the stage could continue programming uninterrupted without having to relocate.
This demanding workflow, from the provision of hardware and software to the management and continuous updating of the 3D models, was technically and operationally supported by VirtualStage.
The lighting equipment was supplied, installed and technically supported by United Technical Group, ensuring the smooth integration and reliable operation of the lighting system throughout the festival.
The expanded use of CHAUVET Professional equipment at Release Athens Festival reflects the increasingly important role of advanced lighting technology in creating the visual impact demanded by today’s international live productions.
Production Credits
Lighting Equipment Provider: UNITED TECHNICAL GROUP
Technical Director: Andreas Paravas
Head of Lights: Telemachos Andreadis
Lighting Network & Desk Tech: George Fokianos
Lighting Designer: George Voudantas
Pre-visualization & 3D: VirtualStage
Photos: Release Athens Festival
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