Agios Nikolaos hosts Cretan Cooking Festival 2026, drawing over 2,500 visitors
The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos held its central World Tourism Day event, the Cretan Cooking Festival 2026, at the town’s harbour on Thursday, September 24, 2026, drawing more than 2,500 visitors, according to the municipality.
This year’s edition carried added significance, the municipality said, because Crete is celebrating its selection as Europe’s Gastronomy Region for 2026. Organizers said the gathering highlighted local products, authentic flavors and the value of the Cretan diet, and formed part of a wider island calendar of tourism-focused Events in Crete around the same period.
National tourism chief attends
The president of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT), Angela Varela, attended the event at the invitation of the municipality. Organizers said her presence underlined that Crete’s local traditions extend beyond a single large-scale event and reinforce the island’s message of authenticity in international markets.
Gastronomic scale
According to the municipality, the festival’s gastronomic section involved 40 exhibitors serving around 4,000 dishes to more than 2,500 visitors. Hotels, restaurants, olive oil and olive-product businesses, honey producers, cultural associations, cooks and winemakers took part. A traditional cauldron was set up during the evening, and xinochondros and traditional skioufichta pasta were prepared live, the municipality said.
Visitors had the chance to sample traditional antikristo, gamopilafo, anthotyro cheese and loukoumades, along with aromatic liqueurs, wines from select Cretan vineyards, Cretan beer and a range of specialties from the Mirabello region, according to the municipality. This year’s programme follows the harbour’s earlier announcement of the Cretan Cooking Festival 2026 plans.
Music, dance and thanks
The harbour was filled with traditional sounds and dances thanks to performances by the traditional music ensemble of the Lasithi Music School, the Lyceum Club of Greek Women, and a band led by Manolis Rasidakis. Organizers said the hospitality on display would not have been possible without the “front line” participants who embody the island’s roots.
The municipality expressed thanks to cultural associations, producers, women’s cooperatives, schools, representatives of hotels and restaurants, and volunteers. Special mention was made of cruise consultant Ioannis Bras for his role in welcoming passengers from cruise ships docked at the port, which organizers said strengthened the event’s international reach. Similar seasonal programming has also featured in the Days of Tourism events held elsewhere in the region.
Officials welcome visitors
Dozens of visitors were welcomed by the Mayor of Agios Nikolaos, Manolis Menegakis, the deputy mayor for tourism, Antonis Mavris, and the deputy regional governor of Lasithi, Giannis Androulakis, while EOT president Angela Varela delivered a greeting.
The municipality said the 2026 festival confirmed once again that Crete’s gastronomic heritage and hospitality form a strong foundation for the region’s tourism identity, adding that it will continue investing in outward-facing initiatives that showcase local roots. Readers looking to explore similar Experiences in Crete can find further gastronomy and cultural events across the island.
