Rethymno Festivals & Cultural Events

Rethymno is an area with a long history, reflected in the many local festivals taking place in its villages throughout the year. These are religious celebrations and festivals associated with agricultural activities, accompanied by excellent wine, food, and music.

Religious feasts & festivals

• August 15th
On the 15th of August, celebrations are held to honor the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, one of the greatest religious celebrations in Greece. Festivities take place all over the country and are always accompanied by food, wine, and traditional dances.

• September 8th
On the 8th of September, in the village of Myriokefala, there is a lovely feast with hundreds of pilgrims. The locals celebrate the discovery of a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, which is kept in the Antifonitria Monastery.

• April 23rd
The feast of Agios Georgios is greatly celebrated in Zoniana and Plakias on April 23rd (or on Easter Monday).

Cultural events

• November 8th
On the 8th of November, the locals commemorate the Arkadi Holocaust. A religious ceremony is held in the Arkadi Monastery, where Cretan fighters blew themselves up during the Revolt of 1866 to avoid surrendering to the Ottomans. The locals bring flowers to the monastery to honor the dead.

• Yakynthia Festival
The Yakinthia Festival takes place in late July/ early August near the village of Anogia, at a stone chapel standing on Mount Psiloritis, at an altitude of 1260 meters above sea level. Next to the chapel, which is dedicated to Saint Hyacinth, there is a stone-built theater that hosts the annual event. Every year, the festival centers around a different theme, fusing the Cretan musical tradition with that of other parts of Greece and the Mediterranean. It includes theatrical performances, traditional dancing and live Cretan music.

• Carnival of Rethymno
The Carnival of Rethymno is very popular. Festivities last for two weeks and include treasure hunts, musical events and a large parade on Carnival Sunday.

• Renaissance Festival
The Rennaissance Festival takes place from late August to early September in the Erofili theater, inside the Fortezza, as well as in various other venues of Rethymno Town. Inspired by the town’s Venetian legacy, this colorful event aims to promote both the Cretan and the European Renaissance. Hundreds of artists from all over the world come to take part in theatrical, music and dance performances. Over the years, the Festival has put up all the works of the Cretan playwrights, as well as a number of plays by Shakespeare, Moliere and Goldoni, among others.

• Rethymno Rocks
First established in 2012, the open-air Rethymno Rocks Festival takes place in August or early September, bringing together rock bands from Athens and Crete and rejuvenating the cultural scene of Rethymno.

• Wine and Traditional Products Festival
Held during the last week of May in the Municipal Garden, this is one of the longest-standing festivals in Rethymno. Aiming to promote wine and other exquisite local products, it offers visitors the chance to learn about their properties and production process to the accompaniment of traditional music and dancing.

• Tsikoudia Festival
The tsikoudia distillation process is turned into a lively feast with Cretan delicacies, music and dancing. It is worth seeing if you happen to visit Rethymno in late October or early November.

• Antivaro Festival
Antivaro is a drama Festival that began as an attempt to enrich the cultural life of the Cretan countryside. Boasting the participation of theatrical groups from Athens, it takes place around March and April on an annual basis.