With more than 50 activities, events and experiences across 25 villages and settlements, the 11th Amari Green Festival returns from 23 to 26 July, transforming the heart of Crete into an open space dedicated to culture, gastronomy, nature, creativity and public dialogue for four days. Dedicated this year to the mantinada, the festival aims to highlight not only the rich cultural heritage of Amari, but also the potential of a place that invests in sustainable development, openness to the wider world and the connection between tradition and the present.
The deputy mayor of the Municipality of Amari, Manolis Psaroudakis, speaking to APE-MPE, points out that the Amari Green Festival has become an event of particular importance not only for the local community, but also for people who maintain strong ties with their hometown.
“The festival is a meeting place for people living in Amari, the Amariites of Athens, and also for all those who love the area. Every year it attracts thousands of visitors and serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas, proposals and reflection on the future of the area. This is also demonstrated by the theme chosen each year,” he says.
As he explains, in a municipality comprising dozens of small settlements and lacking a single urban centre, the value of such an organisation is even greater.
“Amari does not have a central hub where social life is concentrated, as is the case in an urban environment. The festival gives the residents of all the villages, as well as visitors, the opportunity to meet, get to know our area better, promote it, but also to reflect on the challenges facing the mountainous hinterland and discuss solutions,” he emphasises.
According to him, the audience’s response confirms the momentum the organisation has built up.
“Last year, each event attracted more than 1,000 people. This fills us with optimism, but also a sense of responsibility. As soon as the festival is over, the organising committee begins planning for the following year. This is not a static event. It is constantly evolving, enriched with new ideas and initiatives every year to address the issues facing our country,” he notes.
This year’s event is dedicated to the mantinada, recognising it as one of the most important expressions of Crete’s intangible cultural heritage. From the very first day, visitors will take part in creating a living archive of mantinadas from the villages of Amari, whilst the photographic exhibition “From village to village with our organ players” will also be opened, dedicated to the people who have kept the local musical tradition alive.
A special place in the programme is given to the event “The female voice in modern Cretan mantinades”, through which female artists from across Crete will present their mantinades and share their personal journeys, highlighting the crucial role that women have played throughout history in the preservation, transmission and renewal of Cretan tradition. The event will be accompanied by a musical programme featuring songs and mantinades performed by the artists themselves.
The festival’s programme extends far beyond musical events. It includes workshops on ceramics, papier-mâché, traditional Cretan needlework and creative archaeology for children, culinary activities involving the preparation of sourdough, sarikopita and traditional dishes, visits to olive groves, apiaries and wineries, as well as walks through the area’s unique natural landscapes.
At the same time, a significant part of the programme is devoted to the dialogue on the development of the Greek countryside. Workshops and discussions will focus on the history and modern practices of olive cultivation in Amari, the municipality’s social initiatives, and the opportunities created by the cluster epathros+, as well as the applications of artificial intelligence and small-scale entrepreneurship in local communities. The programme is complemented by voluntary blood donation, book exchanges, open-air cinema and the established 5×5 football tournament in the villages of Amari.
The four days of the festival culminate in a series of wonderful musical evenings, in which Cretan tradition meets contemporary creativity, through the concert “Two Ends – One Tradition”, performances by Marios Christonakis and the musical tribute “Where does the place have its voice”, which traces the journey of the mantinada from region to region across Crete.
The 11th Amari Green Festival is co-organised by the Municipality of Amari, the Region of Crete, the Sub-Region of Rethymno, the Rethymno Chamber of Commerce and the Idaion Network – UNESCO Psiloritis Geopark, with the participation of dozens of organisations and associations, and is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism. Admission to all events is free, and free transport to and from Rethymno is provided for the first three days of the event.
Source: efsyn.gr