- Second edition of the Candia Walls Festival in Heraklion
- Runs August 30 – September 10, 2025
- Over 40 events: music, theatre, dance, cinema, literature, stargazing, exhibitions, workshops
- Opening night: Axion Esti at Nikos Kazantzakis Garden Theatre
- Organized by Heraklion Municipality in cooperation with the Region of Crete and the Ministry of Culture
- Tickets and free passes available via ticketservices.gr
The Venetians built them to defend Candia. Now, centuries later, the walls gather people not for war, but for art. The Candia Walls Festival—born in 2024, now firmly a tradition—returns to Heraklion at the end of August, bringing with it music, cinema, theatre, literature, history talks, art performances, and even astronomy nights. More than forty events will unfold across bastions, plazas, and the iconic Nikos Kazantzakis Garden Theatre.
Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos calls the festival “a cultural moment we create together,” pointing to last year’s experiment where residents were invited to pitch ideas, some of which now appear in the 2025 program. This edition is also special for another reason: it marks the start of a new strategic partnership with Greece’s Ministry of Culture, giving Heraklion formal stewardship of the Venetian Walls and the nearby Arsenali (shipyards). The goal? To make the fortifications a living, everyday part of the city’s life rather than a background monument.
Deputy Mayor of Culture Rena Papadaki-Skalidi stresses the symbolism: “The Walls are not a border that separates, but a bridge of culture that unites us.” She thanked the volunteers, artists, sponsors, and municipal staff who transformed last year’s fledgling idea into a packed celebration that drew thousands.
Opening Night: Axion Esti
The festival begins on Saturday, August 30, at 21:00 at the Nikos Kazantzakis Garden Theatre. Few works could carry more symbolic weight than Axion Esti, the poetic masterpiece of Odysseas Elytis set to music by Mikis Theodorakis.
- Conductor: Giorgos Aravidis with the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra
- Performers: Kostas Makedonas (vocals), Dionysis Sourmpis (chanter), Leonidas Kakouris (narrator)
- Choirs: Heraklion Municipal Choir (Giannis Kiayiadakis, conductor) and Heraklion Regional Choir (Lena Chatzigeorgiou, conductor)
- Duration: 75 minutes
- Admission: Free with pass (ticketservices.gr)
It is a return, six decades after the Oratorio’s first performance in Athens, of a piece that still resonates as a hymn to the Greek spirit.
Practical Notes for Festivalgoers
Tickets & free passes: via ticketservices.gr (two days before each event, until sold out)
- On-site distribution: limited free passes at the Garden Theatre box office for residents without online access
- Prices:
- Standard €5
- Reduced €2.50 (students, unemployed, multi-children families, disabled, seniors 65+, children up to 6 years old)
- Open-air Bethlehem Cinema: €4
- Many events remain free entry with no ticket required
From fortress to festival stage, the Venetian Walls now pulse with new life. Between August 30 and September 10, they will shift their focus from stone and history to voices, rhythms, and the collective heartbeat of Heraklion.
