- Cretan Cuisine Festival returns for its 11th round.
- Backed by the Regional Government of Crete, Municipality of Malevizi and many local clubs.
- Taking over Michail Katsamani Square in Gazi, Malevizi on August 3, 2025, at 8:00 PM.
- Entry is free, dignity is optional.
- Dozens of Cretan cultural groups serve up classic recipes with a side of pride.
- Workshops include everything from bread braiding to nostalgic school lunches to homemade cheeses.
- Guests can watch, taste, or politely pretend to understand what’s going on.
- Traditional music from Manos Lyronis and his band, plus folk dances to remind you why you should never skip leg day.
- Everybody’s invited, especially tourists with a big appetite or an even bigger curiosity about what My Big Fat Greek Wedding got wrong.
Smells Like Cretan Spirit
Each year, the Cretan Cuisine Festival Association, with a bit of help (and meddling) from the Regional Government of Crete, the Municipality of Malevizi, and the Cultural Associations of Keramoutsi and Gazi, throws a no-nonsense party in Gazi that calls itself a festival. Think less food court, more village showdown.
This event isn’t just about stuffing faces with home-cooked goodness—though that’s a big part of it. The festival brings together over twenty local clubs from nearly every corner of the island of Crete. Each group claims their grandmother’s method is the only proper way to cook, knead or braid. Tourists brave enough to participate will find traditional cook-offs, awkward photo ops and possibly new friendships born in shared confusion.
The smell of slow-cooked meat and fresh bread hangs heavy in the air, with groups like the Cultural Associations of Amiras, Arkalohori, Marathos and many others proudly stir giant pots and plate up time-honored dishes. Whether it’s the village of Fodele’s legendary food or the Sisons “ASTALI” group’s best attempt at perfection, every bite tells a story. Most involve olive oil.
Workshops, Music and Dance Invitations
- Workshops keep the hands busy and the language barrier irrelevant. Maria Kalentaki shows off the lost art of basket weaving, because plastic bags aren’t invited.
- The Polithea Cultural and Development Society recreates the school lunches of the 1940s and 1950s—think less pizza, more lentils.
- At “Ornamental Cretan Breads,” the Kitharida Cultural Association reveals why even the loaves here get dressed up.
- The Apostolianoi “The Apostles” Society serves up “Sugary Mantinades”—not poetry slams, but sweet treats shaped like local verses.
- The Keramoutsi Cultural Society hosts a workshop on making homemade xinoxondros, the tangy porridge that once powered most Cretan kids.
- Little ones get their own lesson with Gazi’s Cultural Society, rolling up their sleeves for “Olive Oil Cookies”—messy but worth it.
- Manolis Vardakis and his team from Asterousia Farm encourage collecting heirloom seeds, as growing your own is always more rewarding.
When calories are this plentiful, dancing is practically required. Manos Lyrionis and his band will keep ears busy and feet moving. Meanwhile, the Lazaros and Manolis Chnaras Folklore Group takes over with classic Cretan dances. There’s no judging if your two left feet refuse to cooperate.
This is not a festival for strict dieters or fans of silence. The Cretan Cuisine Festival combines food, music, and tradition in one raucous celebration, leaving tourists no excuse for skipping a trip to Gazi this August. Wear loose clothes. Bring jokes. And rehearse your best “I meant to spill that flour” face.