The 1st Ice Cream Festival, dedicated primarily to children and families, will take place on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, at 18:00, at the Municipal Garden of Chania. The event was officially announced during a press conference held on Monday, 15 June 2026, in the Chania Municipal Council Hall.

The press conference was given by the Deputy Mayor for Tourism, Nektarios Psaroudakis, and the General Secretary of the Chania Pastry and Ice Cream Makers Association, Orestis Tabakopoulos. As they highlighted, the event is organised by the Pastry and Ice Cream Makers Association of the Chania Regional Unit, in cooperation with the Municipality of Chania, with the support of the Region of Crete and the Chania Chamber of Commerce.

During his remarks, Mr Psaroudakis stressed that this is a celebration dedicated mainly to children and families and that it is being hosted for the first time at the Municipal Garden, a venue that is both ideal and safe for children's activities. He noted that the Municipality's goal is for the event to become an established institution in the coming years, offering creative moments of entertainment immediately after the end of the school year.

Mr Psaroudakis also referred to the rich programme of the festival, which includes, among other activities, a Karagiozis shadow theatre performance, animators, clowns, music by the Children's and Youth Band of the Municipality of Chania, and an ice cream competition with surprises for participants.

For his part, Mr Tabakopoulos pointed out that this year's event is the first major initiative of the re-established Association in Chania and aims to showcase the artisanal, handmade ice cream produced by local pastry shops. As he characteristically stated, the goal is "for both the people of Chania and our visitors to come and taste the handmade ice cream produced by our pastry shops using fresh milk", highlighting the quality and unique value of local products.

He also noted that visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy ice cream at a particularly affordable price, while the festival will be accompanied by a wide range of free activities.

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash