Myrtos, Ierapetra and Makry Gialos will mark World Tourism Day 2026 with three evenings of food, music, dancing and local culture from September 26 to 28.
- September 26: Myrtos opens the celebrations with traditional Cretan food and live Greek and international music.
- September 27: The main celebration takes over Ierapetra’s Venetian Fortress of Kales and waterfront (remember, there is a parking ban in this area during the festival).
- September 28: Makry Gialos closes the three-day program with food, music, dancing and local traditions.
The Ierapetra evening will bring together hotel chefs, wineries, local producers, cultural groups and some well-known names from the Greek culinary scene.
Myrtos Starts the Celebration on September 26
The first celebration takes place in the seaside village of Myrtos on Saturday, September 26.
Local tavernas, restaurants, hotels, community organizations and residents will bring traditional Cretan dishes to the celebration, giving visitors the chance to taste local cooking while enjoying live Greek and international music.
The event has been held every year since 2010 and has become a fixture on Myrtos’ tourism calendar.
According to Alekos Pantelakis, president of the Myrtos Community, the village’s residents and local businesses will once again work together to welcome both Greek and international visitors.
And that is very much the point. World Tourism Day here is not being treated as a conference with a stack of brochures and a microphone. The village itself becomes the celebration.
Ierapetra Takes Over Kales on September 27
The main World Tourism Day celebration takes place on Sunday, September 27, starting at 7:30 p.m., around the Venetian Fortress of Kales and Ierapetra’s waterfront.
The evening will feature live Greek music, dancing, and DJ sets, along with presentations of Cretan cuisine and local products.
Inside Kales, visitors can also see a children’s painting exhibition from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The Cultural Development Association of Agios Ioannis, local businesses, and community organizations support the event, with volunteers helping bring the evening together.
Come Hungry
The culinary side of the evening is particularly ambitious.
Hotel chefs participating in the celebrations will set up along the waterfront and prepare Greek dishes in front of visitors. Guests staying at participating hotels will receive food and drink coupons as part of the event.
Other visitors can buy four coupons for €10 and exchange them for food and drink.
Six wineries will also be present, adding a distinctly Cretan touch to an evening already built around local food.
Among the chefs taking part are Sotiris Evangelou, Haris Nikolouzou, Christos Lappas, Michalis Hasikos, Giorgos Chronakis and Ierapetra-born chef and SAEK Lasithi professor Pantazis Simopoulos.
Simopoulos will also cook alongside students from the Special Vocational Education and Training Laboratory of Ierapetra (EEEΕK).
The evening will not be all about eating, either. Students from Ioanna Kamariti’s dance school will perform Cretan dances, while the music group Apoichos and DJs will provide the soundtrack.
What Does AI Have to Do With Cretan Food?
The official theme running through the Ierapetra and Makry Gialos celebrations is:
“Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.“
It is a rather modern theme for a celebration that will involve people cooking traditional recipes in front of visitors, dancers performing Cretan steps, and wineries pouring local wine.
Still, the idea is to bring together tourism businesses, hotels, cultural organizations, and producers while exploring how technology and artificial intelligence may shape tourism’s future.
For visitors, the immediate attraction is considerably simpler: come to Ierapetra, eat something good, listen to music and see what local tourism looks like when the people who actually live there put on the party.
Makry Gialos Ends the Festival
The celebrations continue on Monday, September 28, at the Makry Gialos Fishing Shelter, starting at 7:30 p.m.
The program will feature live Greek music and dancing, along with Cretan dishes and local products.
Cultural associations from Agios Stefanos and Stavrochori will support the event, along with the Municipality of Sitia, cultural associations from Kalo Nero and Lithines, local hotels, businesses, and other organizations.
The organizers are inviting both residents and visitors to join the final evening of the three-day celebration.
And if you happen to be visiting southeastern Crete, this is one invitation worth accepting.
