Patras Carnival

The carnival does not start with a parade. It starts with a town crier announcing the festivities in Georgiou Square and the mayor declaring the carnival open, traditionally on 17 January, St Anthony's Day. In 2026 the opening night there had a three-act show with more than 300 performers, and from there Patras spends weeks in costume.

Patras is a port city, and its carnival is one of the biggest in Greece. The carnival is traced to 1829, to the balls that merchants held after Greek independence. The season is full of events: balls, a treasure hunt in which teams solve riddles and clues across the whole city, and parades by groups who build their floats and costumes through the year.

Everything builds toward the final weekend. On Saturday evening there is a night parade on foot. On Sunday comes the Grand Parade, led by satirical floats and followed by themed groups, with tens of thousands of people taking part in recent years. The carnival closes on the Sunday night, the eve of Clean Monday, the first day of Orthodox Lent, with the burning of the Carnival King float at the port. Because Lent depends on the date of Orthodox Easter, the final weekend moves from year to year.

How to go: aim for the final weekend, and book a room in Patras well ahead, as the parade fills the centre. The 2027 dates have not been announced; check the organisers' site in the winter before you plan.