Festival

Metamorfosi tou Sotirou Panigyri, Xirosterni

A quiet Apokoronas village feast for the Transfiguration: Cretan musicians and dancing at Xirosterni before the August crowds.

In the small Apokoronas village of Xirosterni, east of Vamos, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Metamorfosi tou Sotirou, 6 August) is marked with a gentle, old-fashioned panigyri. Cretan musicians play, the village dances, and it all happens before the big Dekapentavgoustos crowds arrive, so it keeps the intimate feel that the bigger feasts lose. This is a genuinely local night rather than a tourist event. Ask in the village for the exact start, as these things run on their own time.