Greece > Armata Festival

Armata Festival

Every September Spetses comes alive with a dazzling programme of events, held to commemorate the naval battle of Spetses (September 8th, 1822).

The same day is also the feast day of Panayia Armata. Every year on the first Saturday after September 8lh the port of Spetses is the scene for the burning of a replica of the Turkish flagship, and the evening culminates in a spectacular firework display.

The battle is also commemorated with a week of cultural events, featuring concerts by well-known singers, exhibitions of paintings and photographs, performances of traditional dances, theatre performances and all sorts of other activities...

An experience definitely not to be missed!

Publication & Copyright Owner: Region of Attica, March 2014. 1st Edition. Created by McCann Athens. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwisi. without prior written permission obtained by the copyright owner. Permission to use this contei.. must be also obtained from the copyright owner.

Spetses in brief

Spetses is a place of cosmopolitan charm and traditional values, with a dense pine forest which extends right down to the water's edge. Visitors are invariably delighted and fascinated by its traditional houses, once the homes of successful merchant sailors, the picturesque narrow streets and fabulous beaches. There are wonderful rides available by horse-drawn carriage or bicycle, and the night life here is lively and varied.

You can reach Spetses with a boat ride from Piraeus in just 2.5 hours or you can drive to Kosta, close to Porto Heli in the Peloponnese in about the same amount of time. As there are no cars allowed on the island, you'll leave your car there and make the fifteen-minute crossing by fisherman's boat or water taxi.

As no cars are allowed, the only way to travel around the island is by the picturesque one-horse carriages, which are available to take visitors on idyllic rides from Dapia to the Otd Harbour, or the Church of Agia Paraskevi. In the summer season there are two starting points for the carriages: one at the exit from the main port, and one on the other side of the port, in the square in front of the Poseidonion Hotel. The first of these carriages was introduced to the island in 1950. In the old days, the carriages gave tourists guided tours to Agia Marina, Vrellos, Ligoneri and Kouzounos, as well as various points out in the countryside They would also help bring visitors from the port to their hotels, and in the evening from the hotels to the various restaurants and night clubs.

Nowadays, apart from the carriages, there are bicycles or motor bikes available for all-day hire. Dapia, with its picturesque harbour, is a popular meeting place, where you can drink a coffee and enjoy a traditional almond pastry.