Source: tornosnews.gr
From July 23 to 26, 2026, the 11th Amari Green Festival returns dynamically to Amari, transforming 25 villages and settlements in the region into a single stage of culture and experiences.
With the Panakron Estate as its central point, as well as activities in the Asomaton Monastery, Monastiraki, Neis Amari, Fourfouras, Platanos, Patsos, Meronas, Voleones, Agia Paraskevi, Vathiakos, Pantanassa and Apostoli, the festival invites residents and visitors to get to know a place that lives, creates and shares its stories.
The event is being implemented with the co-organization of the Municipality of Amari, the Region of Crete, the Sub-Region of Rethymno, the Chamber of Rethymno and the IDEAL NETWORK – UNESCO Psiloritis Geopark. In addition, it has the support of AMARI MAE – Local Government, the Natural History Museum of Crete, the University of Crete, the Hellenic Mediterranean University (ELMEPA), ESEE, the Rethymno – Chania Bus Station, the Cultural & Social Center “Agios Nektarios”, the Association of Volunteer Blood Donors of Rethymno Prefecture “DOTES ZOIS” and the Cultural Associations and organizations of the villages of the Municipality of Amari: Monastiraki, Pantanassa, Apostoli, Vistagi, Patsos, Voleonas, Ano Meros, Apodoulou, Fourfouras, Agios Ioannis, Kouroutos, Nithavris, Gerakariou, Thronos and Meronas, as well as the Amari – Opsygia Women’s Social Group, who actively contribute to the success of the organization.
The Amari Green Festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism.
Mantinada is the protagonist
This year’s event is dedicated to the mantinada, one of the most important carriers of the intangible cultural heritage of Crete. From the very first day, visitors are invited to contribute to the creation of a living archive, by documenting mantinadas from the villages of Amari, while at the same time the photographic exhibition “From village to village with our organists” is inaugurated, a journey into the musical memory of the place.
The program includes authentic experiences of the Cretan countryside: making sourdough bread in the neighborhoods of Monastiraki, spreading it the next day in Panakron, making traditional dishes by housewives of our villages, sarikopites from the Apodoulou Cultural Association, pottery workshops with Amari clay, creating objects from papier-mâché, getting to know traditional Cretan needlework, as well as activities for children, such as the creative archaeological experience “The Mantinada Shell – From the Fragment to the Vase of Words” , where Minoan history meets folk poetry.
Nature takes center stage through sunset hikes to Koule Vathiakou, walks to the Potamos dam and Kefalovrysa, guided tours of the area’s olive grove and the Asomaton Monastery, visits to bee gardens, and tastings at the Kourkoulou winery in Patsos.
Social Actions – Scientific Discussions
The social actions and initiatives of the Municipality of Amari also have a special place in the program, with an emphasis on interventions, targets and new possibilities for supporting the local community.
Thus, it hosts voluntary blood donations, actions by the Life Donors of Rethymno, book exchanges for children and adults, as well as two open-air cinemas “like in the old days”, reviving beloved images from Crete.
A special place is occupied by scientific and development discussions that connect tradition with the present. The olive tree of Amari from antiquity to modern cultivation practices, social interventions in the Municipality of Amari, the possibilities created by the epathros+ Network for the Greek countryside, as well as the prospects of artificial intelligence and small entrepreneurship are the main thematic axes of the event.
Special events for Mantinada
Of particular interest is the event “The female voice in modern Cretan mantinades “, where female creators from all over Crete will share their stories, experiences and mantinades, highlighting the decisive role of women in the preservation and modern development of this living tradition. The event will be accompanied by Cretan musicians who will present songs and mantinades by the creators themselves.
The program also includes the presentation of the book “My mind holds the mountains” by Michalis Sideris Publications. On the occasion of the presentation, philosophers and Mantinadologists sit together at the same simple, hospitable Amarios table and discuss in front of the audience great issues of the heart and the world.
Music Concerts
In the festival’s major musical evenings, tradition meets contemporary artistic creation. The concert “Two Edges – One Tradition” unites musicians from Amarios and Agios Vasilios on a common stage, Marios Christonakis takes the audience on a journey from artistic to traditional singing, while the festival concludes with the musical tribute “Where does the place have its voice”, where the mantinada follows its journey from region to region throughout Crete, accompanied by dances that revive forgotten local traditions.
At the same time, the beloved 5×5 Championship of the villages of Amari returns for the third year, while the electronic Treasure Hunt, book presentations, the meeting with Amari authors and the gastronomic surprises prepared by the cultural clubs complete a four-day event aimed at all ages.
The Amari Green Festival continues, for the eleventh year, to prove that culture is not limited to a stage. It lives in the villages, in the courtyards, on the paths, at the tables, in the voices of the people and in the mantinades that continue to be born in the place that created them.
There is free admission to all festival events and activities.
Free transportation to and from Rethymno and the Panakron Estate to the School of the Disabled will be available from Thursday 23/7 to Saturday 25/7. The transportation is sponsored by the Chania-Rethymno Bus Company. For more information and the detailed program of events, visit the website of the Municipality of Amari and the social media of the Amari Green Festival.
Source: tornosnews.gr