The Perfect Crete Festival – Rethymno Carnival 2011
The Rethymno Carnival is undoubtedly Crete’s largest, most important and most flamboyant carnival. Held in the town of Rethymno, the three-week celebration showcases Greek culture in the most spectacular of ways possible, subtly blending the nation’s traditions, art, dance and theatre.
This Greek Fest 2011 begins with a colourful and vibrant graffiti festival in which artists from every corner of Greece arrive to boast their graffiti skills. Treasure hunts, theatre, dance performances and fancy dress balls follow the graffiti fest, before a huge open-air party takes place on Shrove Tuesday. On the festival’s penultimate day, live sketches are performed in the streets of Rethymno and a rehearsal to the Grand Parade takes place.
On the day of the Grand Parade the whole of Rethymno explodes with music, costumes and mayhem. A procession consisting of beautifully ornate floats, extravagant costumes and masks, makes its way through the town. The celebrations are not confined to Rethymno itself and are spread into the surrounding villages, where traditional games and activities such as flying kites take place.
The Rethymno Carnival is a fantastic time to visit this beautifully old and quaint Cretan town, which is one of the best-preserved towns of the Renaissance. Combining Renaissance-style Venetician architecture, with the oriental features of the Turkish period, Rethymno is architecturally stunning. Its Venetician harbour is lined with fishing boats and pretty tavernas serving fresh and delicious seafood. Rethymno’s beaches are calm and clean, with many sandy coves to explore surrounded by wild landscapes and huge and dramatic cliffs.
Its hot and sunny climate, stunning scenery, sandy beaches, delicious and fresh cuisine and stunning architecture means the town of Rethymno is a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months. Although with relatively mild winters, if you fancy escaping the appalling British weather, then take a trip to Rethymno in January or February to witness the town’s legendary carnival.
Visit www.carnival-in-rethymnon-crete-greece.com for more information and photographs of this vivacious Greek event.