Greece in autumn. The weather is pleasantly warm, the tourist crowds are sparser and prices are lower. It’s also a fantastic time of year for festivals and a chance to experience an authentic side to Greece. Whether celebrating a good harvest or honouring a patron saint, out comes the food and drink, and a chain of people dancing the traditional Dances in costume.
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Festivals in Greece in September
Armata Festival on Spetses Island
A fireworks display at Armata on Spetses island.
A short ferry ride from Porto Heli, in the Peloponnese, is the beautiful Island of Spetses with its elegant Captains houses. “Armata” is the most important festival on Spetses, as the celebration honours the Panaghia Armata (‘Virgin Mary of the ‘Armata’) and the great Naval Battle of Spetses, which took place on 8th September 1822. Thousands of visitors fill the island in order to watch the spectacular reenactment, which is narrated live in Greek and English.
The festival includes a series of artistic events, such as traditional dances, theatrical performances, various exhibitions and religious processions. The event then culminates in the representation of the burning effigy of the Ottoman flagship, followed by an impressive fireworks display.
Steps and Rhythm Festival in Stavros
Stavros is located in Strimonikos Bay and is about 70km from Thessaloniki. Between 10th and 14th September 2024, this small town will hold the International Steps and Rhythm Festival. The event will feature Folk groups, Modern dance groups, Majorettes, Bands and Music Groups.
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Sardine Festival in Chania
In the first week of September, the Municipality of Chania, in collaboration with cultural associations, organizes the sardine festival. The festival includes music, dancing and various delicious treats made with sardines. These festivities usually take place at Neo Hora beach, to the west of Chania Old Town.
Aegina Fistiki Fest
Aegina, is an island in the Argo Saronic Gulf, and the closest to the mainland. The local inhabitants mainly live off agriculture, and the island is famous for its pistachios. Surprisingly, it doesn’t get as crowded with weekend vacationers as other islands of this archipelago, and only has 10,000 residents.
Aegina Fistiki Fest is a Pistachio festival and trade fair held annually in mid-September. The aim of the event is to promote the island’s famous pistachio nut internationally as the “Aegina Pistachio”.
Aegina Pistachio Festival
The trade fair takes place alongside the harbour, where over 40 kiosks are set up to offer visitors pistachios, and delicacies made from them. Other agricultural products, such as honey, cheeses and handmade items such as lace, jewellery, and earthenware are also on display.
Alongside the Pistachio Festival, many other events are organised over a four-day period. Such as, concerts, ceramic exhibitions, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, dancing, and more. During the festival, restaurants enrich their menus with dishes based around the pistachio.
Anhiolos Wine Festival, Thessaloniki
One of the exciting things to do in Greece in September is to attend the Anhiolos Wine Festival in Thessaloniki. It is a 10-day festival, where you can taste a wide range of delicious wine that are produced locally. Since September is the month of the grape harvest in Greece, the inhabitants celebrate their harvest by organizing this fun event.
International Cultural Festival “FOLKWAY” Hersonissos, Crete
The International Cultural Festival is being held in Hersonissos, Crete in 2024. The event is organised in collaboration with local authorities and local Greek companies, with a great respect for the tradition and culture of all the countries that take part.
Evening performances take place between 28th and 29th September 2024. The types of groups that participate include, traditional folk-dance and folk-song groups, choirs, marching bands, majorettes and orchestras. If you have such a group in your home country you can find out how to apply to take part in this event at European Association of Folklore Festivals.
Festivals in Greece in October
Festival European Polyphony in Rhodes Town
From 1st – 13th October 2024, the Old Town of Rhodes, with its stone-paved alleyways and elegant mansions, will host the Festival European Polyphony. Thanks to a Greek – French collaboration, the Medieval City of Rhodes will be transformed into an active music workshop. Visitors will participate in numerous interactive music activities and concerts with the participation of internationally renowned artists and musical ensembles.
The festival will present a program that incorporates classical music, photography and cinema. Featuring international artists such as Tõnu Kaljuste and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC), winners of two Grammy Awards, as well as the Mikrokosmos Chamber Choir.
A highlight will be the Compagnie Transe Express with their opera and aerial show. They will sing French songs and opera arias, backed by primary school students from Rhodes town. However, all eyes will be looking up to the night sky as they perform an extraordinary aerial show, which is sure to fascinate the audience.
Raki Festival, Edessa
Messimeri is a Village in Edessa, Thessaloniki in the Macedonia Region of Greece. In October “raki” or “tsipouro” is produced here. To honour this event, the community of Messimeri, organize the well-known “Festival Tsipouro”. Visitors and locals come together to eat, sing and dance in a feast celebrating the traditional distilling of the Tsipouro.
St. Averkios Day on Santorini
Emporio, Santorini.
St. Averkios, the Patron saint of wine, is celebrated in most villages on Santorini. On the 22nd October 2024, the village of Emporio celebrates in the old fashion way. Back in the old days, the wine makers would bless and taste the new wines. Then, set up a table with all kinds of tapas, and feast, dance, and sing. Everyone would forget their woes and sufferings for a while, before resuming the work of pruning in the vineyards.
International Sea Tourism Festival on Rhodes
The International Sea Tourism Festival is taking place this year in Rhodes under the theme “Go Blue – Go Green – Go Smart”. Running from 25th to 28th October Rhodes will host the biggest celebration of maritime tourism in Greece. The purpose of the festival is to showcase Greece as a top destination for maritime tourism in the Mediterranean, and to strengthen relationships with other countries around it. Through the participation of yachting companies, cruise lines, sailing, diving, water sports, and global brands, the South Aegean will take centre stage in maritime tourism.
St. Demetrius Day in Thessaloniki
Saint Demetrius church in Thessaloniki.
The northern city of Thessaloniki celebrates its patron, St. Demetrius, on 26th October 2024. The festivities begin with a procession with the relics and icon of St. Demetrius, through the streets of the city. St. Demetrius was born in 280 AD in Thessaloniki and was the son of a wealthy military commander. When only young, he decided to get secretly baptized a Christian. He spent much of his time as a missionary, preaching the Gospel at secret meetings and converting pagans to the Christian faith. According to tradition, he was executed in his 20s, becoming a martyr for his faith.
People believe it was his intervention that saved the city during many attacks by Slavic nations, the Bulgarians, Arabs, Saracens and others. The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios is the main sanctuary dedicated to him. The church houses some wonderful Byzantine mosaics, as well as the crypt of the Saint. The feast day of St. Demetrius, also coincides with Thessaloniki’s most important day in its modern history. This was the city’s liberation from the Ottoman Turks in 1912.
Chestnut festivals
All over Greece, the Chestnut harvest is one of the main events of the autumn. From the forests in the north, all the way down to the Cretan mountains in the south, people will be out gathering chestnuts. With the chestnut harvest comes chestnut festivals, celebrated in many small towns and villages. Tourists often get the opportunity to meet the locals at feasts and savour this delicious nut accompanied by tsipouro or wine.
Chestnut Festival in Paleochori
The Chestnut Festival in the charming village of Paleochori, Pageo is one such popular event. The smell of the grilled chestnuts, is the key aroma that marks the beginning of autumn here. This charming folkloric festival offers plenty of chestnuts, wine and tsipouro, prepared to warm every palate. The event is held in the chestnut forest of Paleochori, on the last Sunday of October or the first Sunday of November.
Chestnut Festival in Kastanitsa, Peloponnese
Kastanitsa, Peloponnese.
Another good example of a Chestnut Festival is the one in Kastanitsa. Here the festival is not only about tasting the chestnuts, it also encompasses culture, art, and the natural wonders of this charming Greek village.
Visitors are offered guided tours of the chestnut orchards, to see how they are harvested. They are then shown how to prepare and roast the chestnuts. With the opportunity to learn about traditional recipes passed down through generations, and regional specialities through workshops and demonstrations you will not only get to know your chestnuts but also the people.
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Theodorakion Cheese Festival
Theodoraki is a seemingly ordinary little village nestled at the foot of Μount Paiko at an altitude of 420 metres. Most of its 520 inhabitants are occupied with stock farming and growing vines, olive trees and cereals. What is amazing though is the variety of different types of cheeses produced here and their high quality. The two-day-cheese festival held annually in October celebrates this incredible produce with traditional dishes, local dance groups, and folklore exhibitions.
Ochi Day
Ochi Day.
In Greece, the 28th October is a national holiday called “Ochi day”. On the 28th October 1940, an ultimatum was issued to the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas by the Italian Ambassador, requesting permission for Italian Forces to enter Greek territory, and occupy a number of strategic locations, or face war with Nazi Germany.
Apparently, Metaxas’s response was simply “Ochi!” (No!). This resulted in Italian troops, who were then stationed in southern Albania, launching a land invasion of the Greek border, and it was this that marked the start of Greece’s participation as an Allied Force in World War II. Now, every year on this date, major Greek towns hold parades to remember this day.
Not all the festivals in Greece are advertised on the internet. The most memorable experiences are the festivals you just stumble across. These are the most authentic Greek Festivals, and it is a joy to see local people celebrating, especially after a busy summer of tourists.
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