Lefkas International Folklore Festival
The Lefkas International Folklore Festival is a 10 day celebration of culture and youth that takes place every August on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea in Greece.
What: Lefkas International Folklore Festival
Where: Lefkada Island in the Ionian Sea, Greece
When: Every third week in August for a consecutive 10 days in the Open Theater in Lefkada, annually.
The Lefkas International Folklore Festival has a history of 52 years. Since its establishment in 1962, the Lefkas International Folklore Festival has promoted the message of peace, friendship and brotherhood among nations worldwide through its cultural and traditional folk forms in the art of music and dance.
The festival offers daily performances at a very small ticket giving the audience the chance to view amazing shows of high artistic quality. Traditional dances, songs and music are presented at the Open Theater of Lefkada, as well as the streets, squares and open spaces in villages all around the island.
Come and live an amazing cultural experience worth sharing with family and friends.
In the festival folk dance groups from the five continents reinforce, through their performances, the message of friendship, communication and cooperation.
More than 600 groups have represented the folklore of almost 150 countries at the festival until today.
The festival takes place during the third week of August ,from one Sunday to the other, commencing with the great parade of peace and friendship, the evening’s ceremony marking the opening night (on that first Sunday night) with a very short appearance by all dance groups. During the week we have their full appearances and performances by each group and finally reaching the peak on the second Sunday with the majestic ending ceremony to include the exchange of gifts and the final dance of peace on stage by all groups.
The participation of the folk groups in the Lefkas International Folklore Festival is the opportunity for thousands native and foreign visitors of the island to get acquainted with, to appreciate and enjoy the folk art and cultural heritage of the other countries.
Lefkada is the fourth largest island in the Ionian Sea and the smallest prefecture of Greece. It lies between Corfu and Kefalonia islands and has a population of 23.000 inhabitants.
It boasts beautiful seaside hamlets and picturesque mountain villages. A floating bridge connects it to the mainland, something that has given it the name “the mainland island”. The island was named after the Lefkata cape, located at the southernmost point of the island.
Lefkas is 5hrs drive from Athens and 5hrs from Thessaloniki.
