Candia Walls Festival to Light Up Heraklion with 35 Events Over 12 Days

Photo source: Heraklion Culture

The Municipality of Heraklion on Crete has announced the launch of the inaugural Candia Walls Festival, an initiative that aims to establish a new tradition that strengthens the connection between residents, visitors, and the historic Venetian Walls of the city.

The festival will be held across various locations along the Venetian Walls and is designed to create a vibrant cultural space where everyone can engage and express their artistic creativity.

“The Venetian Walls are a hidden gem that our city has only partially explored and valued,” said Heraklion Mayor Alexis Kalokairinos during the event’s recent presentation.

The Candia Walls Festival will span 12 days and feature 35 diverse events.

“Effective utilization of this 35-hectare area, situated at the heart of Heraklion, has the potential to bring meaningful changes to our daily lives,” he added.

Candia Walls Festival – Highlights

Heraklion Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo source: Heraklion Culture

Museum Hours. Photo source: Heraklion Culture

– In the Battle of Cupid: Love and War in Heraklion, the Great Castle. Giorgos Seferis talks to Vitsentzos Kornaros, September 1, 8 p.m. at the Jesus Bastion Grove: Philologists, members of the Heraklion Prefecture Association of Philologists, will read excerpts from Erotokritos by Vitsentzos Kornaros as well as poetry by George Seferis, while musician-archaeologist Manos Papadakis will sing poetry set to music.

– Museum Hours, September 2, 9pm at the open-air Cinema “Bethlehem”: A movie about Johann, a security guard in the Kunsthistorisches Art Museum in Vienna, who meets Anna, a foreigner who was called to Vienna due to a medical emergency. Their meetings set off a surprising series of explorations.

– I am a weak, ephemeral creature made of mud and dream, September 4, 7.30pm at the Jesus Gate: The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum participates in the Candia Walls Festival with an original artistic performance dedicated to Nikos Kazantzakis and curated by Dimitris Kalokoiris that will take place in the exhibition site.

Music and dance performance “I am a weak, ephemeral creature made of mud and dream”. Photo source: Heraklion Culture

– Daaaaaalí!, September 5, 9pm at the open-air cinema “Bethlehem”: Judith, a French journalist, meets the iconic surrealist artist Salvador Dalí on several occasions for an interview project, which the eccentric artist obstinately refuses.

– Phoenician Women by Euripides, September 7, 9pm at the “Nikos Kazantzakis” open-air theater: The Cyprus University Theatrical Workshop (THEPAK) presents its new production, Euripides’ Phoenician Women. An intricate tragedy that depicts a tight cycle of bloody events tearing apart a country, which seems so distant yet so familiar.

– The Magic City, September 9, 9pm at the open-air cinema “Bethlehem”: A truck driver living in a slum in Athens is trying to escape from the tentacles of the underworld. The directorial debut of Nikos Koundouros is a genuine example of Greek Neo-realism.

Venetian Walls history

Venetian harbor at Heraklion, part of the city’s walls. Photo © GNTO/Y.Skoulas

The fortified enclosure of the Venetian Chandakas of the 15th century, which is still preserved today, is one of the most significant monuments of its kind in the whole Mediterranean basin.

Another also important monument of the period is the imposing fortress of Koules which is dominating at the entrance of the old Venetian port.