1. The Athens and Epidaurus Festival
Held in Athens and Epidaurus, in the Peloponnese. This is Greece’s premier annual arts festival and one of the highlights of the summer festival calendar. Starting on 15 July and running through to 15 August, this year the festival features a condensed programme of 17 Greek productions in music, theatre and opera to be performed at the two ancient theatres of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in Peloponnisos and the Herod Atticus Theatre. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy Aeschylus’ play The Persians live streamed from the ancient theatre of Epidaurus for the first time on Saturday, 25 July.
2. International Festival of Ancient Olympia
Held in the western Peloponnese. Another major arts festival centred around a famous site of antiquity – in this case it is Olympia, site of the ancient Olympics, the nearby village of Floka and in the pedestrian zone of modern Olympia. Music, theatre and dance performances are the key focus from Mid July through to August.
3. Olympus Festival
Held beneath Mount Olympus is the leading event in Pieria, central Macedonia, and is one of the oldest cultural festivals on the calendar and the premier cultural event of Northern Greece. The festival which begins in July stretches through to September. Its scope is just as wide incorporating exhibitions, scientific lectures, classical and contemporary music, plays and dance. Each year since 2010, the festival selects a country that represents similar cultural aspects as Greece and the organisers work with that country’s leading cultural institutions to present at the festival.
4. Philippi-Thassos Festival
Held in Kavala, east Macedonia. The music and theatrical performances for this festival are held at the ancient theatre of Philippi. There are also events held in Kavala as well the nearby island of Thassos.
5. Garlic Fair
Held in Larissa. Garlic is produced mainly in Macedonia and the festival in Larissa takes place at the beginning of the harvest season. Dedicated to all things garlic there are lectures on the history and cultivation of garlic, exhibitions of local produce – including demonstrations of to weave an armatha (garlic braid). There are re-enactments of the stages in the growing of garlic. Needless to say there are plenty of opportunities to sample garlic-inspired dishes such as skordari, or the garlic spread skordalia, or skordopsomo (garlic bread) with the local tsipouro to temper the breath.
6. The Renaissance Festival
Held in Rethymno, Crete. This festival recognises the Venetian influence in the city’s history starting from mid-July through to September. Most of the festival events are focussed around the city’s Venetian harbour and its Fortezza Castle – one of the best preserved medieval sites in Europe. The human voice is the centre of attention in this festival and many leading European voice ensembles sing acapella or are accompanied by musicians playing medieval instruments. Renaissance plays by Cretan and European writers are performed as are medieval dances.
7. The Sausage Festival
Held in Stagiates, Volos. Stagiates is a village sited on the slopes of Mt Pelion. The village focused on sausage making in the mid-18th Century and the art was passed down the generations and based on prime quality meats and special blends of spices. Visitors can sample the local sausage, Spetzofai, wash it down with a local wine and then take part in the village fete.
READ MORE: First live-streamed performance as The Persians premier at Epidaurus
8. Honey Festival
Held in Steni, Evia. This festival takes place towards the end of the month and there is plenty of honey produce to be sampled as well as honey-based dishes such as baklava, melomakarona and loukoumades. There is also plenty of live music and dance events performed by local artists.
9. The International Pelion Festival
Held in the villages of eastern Pelion, Thessaly. The villages on the slopes of Mount Pelion, the Mountain of Centaurs, host this international festival of art music and discourse. The festival which begins in July and ends in late August is split into three sections. The first part is held in the village of Kissos and the other two sections of the festival are held at Zagora and Tsagarada.
10. Ta Sfakia
Held at Chania in Crete. Ta Sfakia is a celebration of Cretan music and culture. It highlights lyra playing, the works of the mantinada composers as well as folk dance groups performing the Syrtos, Sousta and Pentozali among other dances. The are poetry readings and plenty of dance and song. Delicacies sfakian giahni, sfakian pies that are filled with raki and dry myzithra also feature at the Sfakia. And there is Sfakian paximadi which is a rusk unlike any other.