Festivals & events

40 celebrations through the year — pick a day to see what's on.

• New Year's Day (1, Attica) — Greece's primary national holiday marking the start of the year with family gatherings, traditional meals, and the custom of cutting the Ne…
• Epiphany (Theophania) (1, Attica) — A Christian celebration featuring the blessing of the waters ceremony where crosses are tossed into harbors and seas across Greece for youn…
• Carnival Season (Apokries) (2, Peloponnese) — A week-long celebration before Lent featuring colorful parades, masquerades, and merrymaking, with the famous Patras Carnival being Greece'…
• Othomano Carnival (2, Central Macedonia) — Thessaloniki's version of carnival featuring elaborate floats, satirical performances, and street celebrations reflecting the city's unique…
• Skyros Carnival (2, Sporades) — An ancient carnival tradition featuring the Geri dancers in shaggy costumes and bell-wearing characters that dates back to pagan fertility…
• Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera) (2, Attica) — The start of Lent marked by flying kites and eating traditional fasting foods like lagana and fava, celebrated throughout Greece with famil…
• Independence Day (3, Attica) — Greece's national holiday commemorating the start of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, celebrated with military parades, flag-raising…
• Annunciation of Mary (3, Attica) — A religious holiday coinciding with Independence Day, celebrating the Angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary in Orthodox tradition.
• Flower Festival of Rhodes (4, Southern Aegean) — A spring celebration in Rhodes featuring flower displays, garden exhibits, and botanical showcases celebrating the island's natural beauty.
• Easter (Pascha) (4, Attica) — Orthodox Easter is the most important religious holiday in Greece featuring midnight resurrection services, the lighting of candles, and ce…
• Spring Festival (4, Thessaly) — Celebrates the arrival of spring in Volos and surrounding areas with flower exhibitions, cultural performances, and agricultural displays.
• Feast of St. George (4, Central Macedonia) — A significant religious observance featuring traditional processions and celebrations honoring Greece's patron saint with cultural events a…
• Rethymno Carnival (2, Crete) — Crete's vibrant pre-Lenten celebration featuring parades with elaborate floats, masked balls, and Venetian-influenced festivities reflectin…
• Labour Day (5, Attica) — Greece's national holiday celebrating workers' rights, marked by parades and gatherings in Athens and other cities throughout the country.
• Flower Festival of Corfu (5, Ionian Islands) — A spring celebration in Corfu featuring flower displays and botanical exhibitions showcasing the island's lush Mediterranean flora.
• Ascension of Christ (5, Attica) — A significant Orthodox Christian holiday celebrated 40 days after Easter commemorating Christ's ascension to heaven.
• Pentecost (Whit Monday) (5, Attica) — The Monday after Pentecost is a national holiday in Greece featuring traditional customs and family celebrations.
• Athens Festival (6, Attica) — A major cultural festival featuring theater, music, and dance performances held in historic venues including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
• Epidaurus Festival (6, Peloponnese) — An ancient theater festival featuring classical Greek plays and modern performances held in the remarkably preserved ancient theater of Epi…
• Rethymno Wine Festival (7, Crete) — A celebration of Cretan wine culture featuring tastings, traditional music, dancing, and local cuisine in a festive town square setting.
• Feast of the Holy Apostles (6, Attica) — A nationwide religious holiday celebrating the apostles Peter and Paul with church services and traditional observances across Greece.
• Chios Mastic Festival (8, Northern Aegean Islands) — An annual celebration of mastic production featuring food stalls, traditional crafts, music, and the famous mastic liqueur unique to Chios.
• Assumption of Mary (8, Attica) — One of Greece's most important religious holidays celebrated throughout the country with church services, processions, and family gathering…
• Rockwertigo Festival (8, Crete) — A summer rock music festival in Rethymno featuring international and Greek rock bands performing on outdoor stages.
• Hellenic Air Force Week (9, Attica) — An annual celebration featuring the famous Hellenic Air Force acrobatic team demonstrations over Athens.
• Kalamata International Dance Festival (9, Peloponnese) — A prestigious festival featuring contemporary and traditional dance performances from Greece and around the world.
• Thessaloniki International Film Festival (9, Central Macedonia) — One of Greece's most important film festivals showcasing international cinema and promoting Thessaloniki as a cultural hub.
• Oenological Festival of Alexandroupoli (9, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace) — A celebration of Thracian wines featuring tastings, regional cuisine, and cultural performances in this northeastern Greek port city.
• Gazi Festival (9, Attica) — An annual cultural festival in Athens' regenerated Gazi district featuring theater, music, dance, and street art performances.
• Oktoberfest Athens (10, Attica) — Greece's version of the famous beer festival featuring Bavarian-style entertainment, food, and beer celebrations in Athens.
• Ochi Day (10, Attica) — Greece's national holiday commemorating the country's 'no' (ochi) to the Italian ultimatum in 1940, celebrated with military parades and pa…
• Documenta Film Festival (11, Central Macedonia) — Greece's leading documentary film festival held in Thessaloniki showcasing innovative documentaries from around the world.
• Feast of Saint Demetrius (10, Central Macedonia) — A significant religious celebration in Thessaloniki honoring the city's patron saint with processions and religious services.
• Raki Festival (10, Crete) — A celebration of Cretan raki spirit featuring traditional distillation demonstrations, tastings, and Cretan music and dancing.
• Lights Festival of Athens (11, Attica) — An illumination festival transforming Athens' neighborhoods with artistic light installations and cultural events.
• Feast of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel (11, Attica) — A significant Orthodox religious holiday celebrated across Greece with church services and traditional observances.
• Christmas (12, Attica) — Greece's Christian holiday celebrated with family gatherings, traditional foods, church services, and festive decorations throughout the co…
• Feast of the Nativity (12, Attica) — The Orthodox celebration of Christ's birth observed as a major religious holiday across Greece.
• Synaxis of the Mother of God (12, Attica) — An Orthodox religious holiday celebrated the day after Christmas honoring the Mother of God with church services and traditional observance…
• New Year's Eve Celebrations (12, Attica) — Greece's year-end celebration featuring festive gatherings, traditional music, dancing, and the custom of the New Year's cake fortune.