Heraklion’s “Anaireseis” festival returns to Dascalogiannis Square on September 19
The “Anaireseis” festival will take place in Heraklion on September 19, organizers announced. The event is scheduled to run at Dascalogiannis Square, opening with a political discussion at 18:00 followed by a traditional glendi.
According to the organizers’ announcement, the central political event is titled “200 of Kaisariani: history does not fall silent before the guns.” It focuses on the execution of 200 communists in Kaisariani during the German occupation, a subject the organizers said has drawn renewed attention this year after previously unseen photographic material came to light.
Speakers at the event are listed as Nikos Pelekoudas, a member of the Political Committee of Communist Liberation (Kommounistiki Apeleftherosi), and Thodoris Papafragkou, a member of the organization’s youth wing. The organizers said the talk will present the historical context of the 1944 executions and their political legacy.
Music and dance to follow
After the political event, organizers said a traditional glendi will be held, featuring performers Giannis Dermitzakis, Despina Anastasopoulou, Fanis Karousos, Charis Panagiotakis and Sakis Polyzos, who will perform songs and dances from Crete and other parts of Greece.
In their announcement, the organizers framed the festival as a response to what they described as a summer marked by regional conflicts, wildfires and rising living costs, and said it was intended to open a discussion on collective action. The events in Crete calendar lists other cultural gatherings taking place across the island this month, including the 11th International Sculpture Symposium due to open in Heraklion on September 21.
