Art takes to the streets, meeting the place and its people

Archanes, Kounavoi, Alagni and Agies Paraskies once again become meeting points for art, tradition and contemporary creativity.

From 3 to 11 September 2026, the Municipality of Archanes–Asterousia opens the doors of its villages and welcomes the 7th Art Festival, an event that takes art beyond conventional venues and brings it into the streets, alleyways, squares, old corners and historic spaces of the area.

Music, theatre, dance, poetry, visual arts, humour, traditional activities and cultural heritage come together in a wide-ranging artistic journey, where the audience does not remain simply an audience.

You walk, discover, participate and become part of the celebration.

Archanes at the heart of the festival

The main focus of the festival is Archanes, where, over the weekend of 5 and 6 September, the town is transformed into one large open-air stage.

The streets and alleyways, the old market, the Old Power Station, the squares and cultural spaces take on a new role. Music, dance and theatre spill out into the streets and meet the public unexpectedly, creating an experience that you do not simply watch, but live.

The festival begins on Saturday, 5 September, with Batala Crete, who set the rhythm at 18:00 with the explosive sounds of Brazilian samba. The musical procession makes its way through the town, inviting the public to follow.

At 18:45, Vangelis Psaradakis leads visitors on a different kind of journey entitled “And narrow streets made like snakes…”, through the alleyways of Archanes, weaving together literary references, memories and oral narratives.

At the same time, the Cretan Expression Workshop of Antonia Pantelaki brings dance into the streets, with students performing hasapiko, zeibekiko and hasaposerviko and inviting the public to join in.

At 19:45, the musical procession passes through the old market and leads the audience to the Old Power Station, where the Minoan Theatre, curated and produced by Anna Bastaki Grammatikaki, presents a performance that creates a dialogue between the place, its history and contemporary creativity.

At 20:00, the “Cabaret of Words” by the Theatre Workshop of the Municipality of Archanes–Asterousia takes theatrical monologues off the stage and brings them into the old market.

There is no need to look for the stage. The stage will find you.

At 20:30, Archanes leaves poetry and theatre aside for a while to welcome stand-up comedy by Diogenis Papadakis, while at 21:15 Stella Voutoufianaki (StellaeVie) presents the musical performance “Giouchtas”, a contemporary musical ritual inspired by myth, Minoan memory and the deep connection between the area and its sacred mountain.

The first day comes to a close at 22:00 at Oistros, with Tzortzina Alexaki and a concert dedicated to contemporary Greek art song.

Sunday, 6 September – The celebration continues

On Sunday, 6 September, Archanes continues to move to the rhythm of the festival.

Vangelis Psaradakis repeats the cultural walk “And narrow streets made like snakes…”, while Eleni Beteinaki meets younger audiences in the world of storytelling with “The Witch Who Coloured”.

Music takes on different voices and shades: Maria Kritsotaki is joined by Manolis Kanakakis on piano, the “Ionia Aidon” Choir, under the direction of Lena Chatzigeorgiou, takes part in a gathering of choral voices, while musicians Nikos Kalathakis, Tasos Emmanouilidis and Nikos Gennarakis bring different rhythms to the streets and squares.

The “Cabaret of Words” returns to the old market, while at 21:00 the Archanes Choir of the Municipality of Archanes–Asterousia, under the direction of Maria Kritsotaki, presents “The Tomorrow We Dreamed Of – A World of Love”.

The curtain falls on the festival in Archanes at 22:00 with Psarogiorgis, in a major celebration of Cretan music at Cinema Paradeisos.

Art meets tradition across the Municipality

The 7th Art Festival, however, is not limited to Archanes.

In Kounavoi, from 3 to 5 September, the Kounavoi Cultural Association organises a special journey through history, gastronomy and wine culture.

It begins on Thursday, 3 September, with a walk to the chapel of Agios Konstantinos, where visitors will discover an old wine press, attend a talk and guided tour by archaeologist Giorgos Katsalis and taste local wines.

On Friday and Saturday, Kounavoi is transformed into one large immersive setting, with “Wine Press – Wine Square”, “Xetsikaliasmata”, “Grape Stomping & Wine Tasting”, “Opsygiá”, “Path of Aromas – Mantzounia”, “Chani t’ Antonara”, “Ntokiani tou Nikolou”, “Fairytale Road”, “Oven-Baked Paximadi” and the theatrical event “The Matchmaking”.

The music stage in Kounavoi welcomes Ioanna Kavroulaki on Friday, while on Saturday Antonis Manousakis, Giannis Tsilogiannis and Vangelis Alexakis present a programme bringing together Cretan, island, traditional, Asia Minor, contemporary and Greek art music.

In Alagni, on Friday, 4 September, a bus stop is transformed into a different kind of art space. Children and adults paint together, turning the KTEL bus stop into a colourful place filled with images, thoughts, dreams and… destinations. The activity is coordinated by painter and Association member Giouli Christoforou.

In Agies Paraskies, the Cultural Association organises a programme bringing together play, puppet theatre and visual arts.

On Saturday, 5 September, through the activity “Playing Through the Centuries!”, children and adults discover games from antiquity to the present day, from the plangona and koutsouna to zatrikion, chess and marbles.

On Sunday, 6 September, “When Pinocchio Met Little Red Riding Hood” brings an original puppet theatre production for children and adults to the stage, while on Friday, 11 September, the Cultural Association’s Visual Arts Workshop presents an exhibition of works by its students.

Parallel activities in Archanes

Alongside the main programme, visitors will have the opportunity to discover even more aspects of the area’s artistic and cultural life.

“Easels in the Street” brings painting into public space, with the team from the Visual Arts Workshop of the Agies Paraskies Cultural Association painting on Ainikiolioti Street under the guidance of painter Mantalena Melissourgaki–Vozniak.

The Folklore Museum, with Leonidas Katsoprinakis, opens its doors and invites the public on a journey through everyday life, tradition and the cultural heritage of Archanes.

At the same time, the Cultural and Spiritual Centre of the Agios Nikolaos Parish hosts an activity dedicated to the art of knitting, under the guidance of Anna Vardaki.

A festival that becomes part of the place

The 7th Art Festival of the Municipality of Archanes–Asterousia is an invitation to wander.

It does not have just one stage. It has streets, squares, courtyards, old markets, museums, places filled with history and people who create.

Archanes lies at the heart of the festival, but the entire Municipality takes part in this great celebration, showing how art can become a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and contemporary creativity, between the artist and the public.

For a few days, the Municipality of Archanes–Asterousia does not simply host a festival.

It becomes one vast artistic stage.

Admission is free to all events.

7th Archanes–Asterousia Municipality Art Festival
3–11 September

Come and walk with us.
Let’s discover.
Let’s listen.
Let’s laugh.
Let’s be moved.
Let’s become part of the celebration.