Sifnos Festivals & Cultural Events

With over 235 churches and chapels, Sifnos is definitely not short on religious feasts all year round. People gather at the churchyards or the squares and feast with copious quantities of drinks and local specialties to the accompaniment of the takimi, a pair of musicians playing the violin and the laouto. Besides the panigiria, which afford a unique glimpse into the local customs, a series of other colorful events complete the island’s cultural life.

Religious feasts & festivals

Religious feasts are observed in a very special way in Sifnos, since each panigiri is organized by none other than the parishioners themselves: each year, one of them undertakes to take care of the maintenance of a particular chapel and observe all the rites in honor of the saint’s icon, while, on the saint’s feast day, this devout parishioner arranges for the food, the drinks and the music. Here are some of the most significant feasts on the island:

• Ascension Day
On Ascension Day (a movable feast held either in May or in June), the people of Sifnos celebrate the feast day of Panagia Chrissopigi, the patron of the island. This is the most important religious festival in Sifnos and it attracts many visitors from neighboring islands as well. The icon of Chrissopigi is carried to the Monastery of Chrissopigi by boat with great honor.
⇒ Read our Blog Post: Panagia Chrissopigi Festival in Sifnos

• July 19th
On the feast day of Prophet Elias, festivities are organized in the areas of Ai Nigias the Apsilos, Troulaki and Kontos.

• August 15th
On the 15th of August, the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar) there are festivities in many monasteries and churches around Sifnos, including those in Platanissa, Toso Nero, Nilios and Poulati.

• August 29th
On the 29th of August, there is a celebration at the church of Agios Ioannis in Faros.

Cultural events

• Cycladic Gastronomy Festival "Nikolaos Tselementes"
Every September, the village of Artemonas hosts the Cycladic Gastronomy Festival “Nikolaos Tselementes”, a three-day event that brings together delegations from various Cycladic islands and mainland Greece, as well as from abroad. There is also a small bazaar and presentations of traditional crafts and customs

• Path of Gods Festival
Established in 2022, the festival Sta Monopatia ton Theon (Paths of Gods), takes place in the villages of Artemonas and Apollonia around the month of August. Its program consists of theatrical performances, concerts and various exhibitions.

• MuSifanto
MuSifanto is a yearly classical music festival aiming to bring together the elegance of classical music with the natural beauty and the cultural tradition of the island of Sifnos. Held in various locations of cultural interest around the island, it comprises a series of concerts, recitals and workshops.