World Tourism Day takes over the Agios Nikolaos area this weekend with two celebrations in Sissi and Kalo Chorio, bringing Cretan food, live music and traditional dancing to the waterfront and Istron Square.
The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos and the Sissi Development Association, in cooperation with the Region of Crete, are organizing a two-day World Tourism Day celebration on September 26 and 27, with events in Sissi and Kalo Chorio.
And, thankfully, the program is much clearer than the original announcement made it look.
Saturday Night, Sissi Port
The celebrations begin Saturday, September 26, at 6 p.m. at the Port of Sissi.
This evening focuses on Cretan gastronomy, with area hotels preparing traditional dishes for visitors and residents.
Participating hotels include:
- Vasia Hotels
- Enorme Hotels
- Maritimo Beach Hotel
- Grecotel Meli Palace
- Kalimera Kriti Hotel & Village Resort
The food will be accompanied by live Cretan music from the ensemble of Manolis Kokolakis, Dimitris Kokolakis, Dimitris Kalliorakis and Nasos Moutaftsidis.
The Kountouris Cretan Dance School will also perform traditional dances.
In other words, Saturday’s plan is remarkably straightforward: go to the harbor, eat Cretan food and let the music do the rest.
Sunday Night, Kalo Chorio
The celebration moves to Kalo Chorio on Sunday, September 27, with the second evening taking place at Istron Square.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free.
The organizers promise an evening of Cretan hospitality, music, traditional food, and drinks, bringing local culture and gastronomy into the World Tourism Day celebration.
The music will feature the Cretan traditional ensemble of Dimitris Fragiadakis and Dimitris Brokos, while traditional food and drinks will be available for visitors.
The Sunday event is being presented as an evening where visitors can experience Cretan hospitality alongside the local community, with the square becoming the setting for the celebration.
World Tourism Day in Two Stops
| Date | Location | Time | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | Sissi Port | 6 p.m. | Cretan food, live music and traditional dancing |
| Sunday, Sept. 27 | Kalo Chorio, Istron Square | 6:30 p.m. | Cretan food and drinks, live music, and traditional dancing |
Admission is free to both events.
This is actually a lovely little World Tourism Day itinerary for anyone staying around Agios Nikolaos, Sissi, Istron or Kalo Chorio.
Saturday gives you the harbor. Sunday gives you the village square.
And both give you what works better than a tourism slogan: Cretan food, local music, dancing, and people actually getting together.
So there you have it. One celebration. Two days. Two locations. Zero need to make it more complicated than that. 😂
