Heraklion to hold school and military parade at noon for October 28 anniversary
Heraklion is marking the national anniversary of October 28, 1940 with a series of official events, including a doxology, a memorial service, wreath-laying ceremonies and a school and military parade through the city centre, which organizers say will proceed as scheduled given current weather conditions.
Deputy Regional Governor of Heraklion Nikos Syrigonakis invited authorities, organizations and citizens to take part in the commemorations, which honor the historical anniversary and the memory of those who fought for the country’s freedom.
The program includes the official flag-raising ceremony, a doxology at the Church of Agios Titos, a memorial ceremony at Eleftherias Square, and the parade through central Heraklion. The government is expected to be represented at today’s events by Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas.
Schedule of events
According to the published program, the church bells of the city and surrounding suburbs rang at 7:30am, with the Heraklion Municipal Band playing the national anthem. The official flag-raising took place at 8:00am at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Eleftherias Square.
A formal doxology followed at 10:30am at the Church of Agios Titos, with the day’s commemorative address delivered by Maria Galanaki, a philologist at the 5th General Lyceum of Heraklion and a doctor of philology.
At 11:30am, a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will include a memorial prayer, wreath-laying, a minute of silence and the national anthem. Students are set to lay wreaths at the monument at noon, with representatives of the Region, the Municipality, the educational community, university students, scouts and guides taking part, followed by a minute of silence and the anthem.
The parade through central Heraklion is scheduled for noon, with the official lowering of the flag at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier set for 5:15pm. Other Cretan municipalities have published their own ceremony schedules for the same anniversary.
Parade route
The parade will begin on Dimokratias Avenue, at the level of the Battle of Crete monument, and continue to Eleftherias Square, Averof Street and Evans Street, heading toward the main stretch of Evans. It will conclude at Kainouria Porta, by the Kamares, outside the city walls, at the entrance of the Nikos Kazantzakis open-air theater.
Participants will include the Heraklion Municipal Band, representatives of disability and resistance organizations, and groups such as the Hellenic Red Cross, the Hellenic Rescue Team, the Lyceum Club of Greek Women of Heraklion and various cultural associations, alongside students from public and private schools of all levels. Scouts, guides, reserve officers and military units will follow. Information on the broader schedule of events in Crete is available separately, and Heraklion is also set to host a military air show in November.
