Music, theatre, dance, cinema, exhibitions and guided tours across the Venetian Walls of Heraklion, most of them free
The 3rd Candia Walls Festival is organised by the Municipality of Heraklion through the Deputy Mayor's Office for Culture and unfolds along the entire length of the city's Venetian fortifications. Over twelve days, music, theatre, dance, cinema, visual arts, guided tours and new-technology events are hosted at familiar as well as less accessible locations of the Walls. Most events have free admission and some a nominal entry fee. The Festival takes place within the framework of the Cultural Development Programme Agreement between the Municipality of Heraklion, the Region of Crete and the Ministry of Culture.
Programme:
Monday 31 August, 20:30, Jesus Bastion Square: Drone show. Hundreds of synchronised drones form images over the sky of Heraklion, highlighting the Venetian Walls, at the opening of the Festival.
Monday 31 August, 21:00, Bethlehem Open-air Cinema: «Franz» (2025, 127΄), directed by Agnieszka Holland, starring Idan Weiss, Jenovéfa Boková and Carol Schuler. Tickets €4.
Monday 31 August, 21:30, Nikos Kazantzakis Open-air Theatre: Dimitra Galani and Eleni Tsaligopoulou with the Estoudiantina of Nea Ionia, Volos under the baton of Andreas Katsigiannis and with the participation of Vassilis Prodromou. Duration 120΄, tickets €12, concessionary €8.
Tuesday 1 September, 20:00, Manos Hadjidakis Open-air Theatre: «Synesthesia», a musical-visual performance conceived and directed by Manolis Seiragakis, with pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos and visual artist Kalli Karadaki. Duration 90΄, tickets €5.
Tuesday 1 September, 21:00, Jesus Bastion Square: «The Mediterranean… A neighbourhood, a song, in a sea of peace…», a musical performance under the musical direction of Nikos Grapsas, with traditional Mediterranean songs and narrated excerpts from Elytis, Ritsos, Seferis, José Saramago and Federico García Lorca. Duration 100΄, free admission.
Tuesday 1 September, 21:00, Bethlehem Open-air Cinema: «Franz». Tickets €4.
Tuesday 1 September, 21:30, Vitturi Gate: Bears of the Pipes of the Apartment Building, with Odysseas Grammatikakis and Kostas Vlachos, in a programme blending electronica and rock with recitations of literary texts. Duration 100΄, free admission.
Wednesday 2 September, 19:30, starting from Eleftherias Square: a guided tour of the Old Walls by Georgios Katsalis, archaeologist of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion, with the property at 15 Dikeosinis St. as its main point of interest.
Wednesday 2 September, 21:00, Bethlehem Open-air Cinema: «Franz». Tickets €4.
Wednesday 2 September, 21:00, Nikos Kazantzakis Open-air Theatre: «The World is One», in which Konstantinos Vita converses with the poetry of Yiannis Ritsos through a large live installation, with recitations by himself and Olia Lazaridou. Duration 70΄, tickets €12, concessionary €8.
Thursday 3 September, 18:00-23:00, Agios Andreas Bastion: «Stars rise during sundown», a stargazing event by the FORTH Institute of Astrophysics, the Crete Astronomy Friends Club and the Astronomy Club of the Students of the University of Crete, with solar observation, a speech by Grigoris Maravelias at 20:00 and stargazing through telescopes.
Thursday 3 September, 21:00, Bethlehem Open-air Cinema: «À Paris tous les deux», a cine-opera by the Greek National Opera co-produced with the Théâtre du Châtelet, with Greek subtitles. Admission upon presentation of free admission cards.
Thursday 3 September, 21:30, Vitturi Gate: Frenzee, a hardcore punk rock trio with Nikos Xylouris, Antonis Xylouris and Apollonia Xylouri. Free admission.
Friday 4 September, 19:00, starting from the Cafeteria at the Pantokratoras Bastion: a guided tour of the Venetian Walls by Kallia Nikolidaki, archaeologist of the Municipality of Heraklion, ending at Jesus Bastion Square.
Friday 4 September, 20:30, Jesus Bastion Square: a short choreographic intervention by the students of the Kentro Horou Municipal Dance School of Heraklion.
Friday 4 Sep
