The Dimitria Festival
The Municipality of Thessaloniki's annual October festival, staged each year in the name of the city's patron saint, runs in its 61st edition from 1 to 24 October 2026, dates confirmed in February alongside a call for proposals that closed on 29 March.
The Dimitria Festival takes its name from the Byzantine fairs held each October in honour of Saint Demetrios, the city’s patron saint, whose feast day falls on 26 October. Organised by the Municipality of Thessaloniki and re-established in 1966, the festival covers music, theatre, cinema, visual arts, dance, literature, and opera. The 61st edition runs from 1 to 24 October 2026, dates confirmed by the Municipality in February 2026.
The programme is assembled through the Municipality’s Directorate of Culture and Tourism Development, advised by an artistic committee of critics, choreographers, and conductors. The 60th edition in 2025 included five Greek National Opera productions, from the GNO Ballet’s Golden Age to the Sephardic music theatre of Madre Salonico at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.