The festival has been hosted since 1962, as a wider event to the Speech and Arts Events Festival which has been going since 1955.
Devoted to the promotion of peace and cooperation between people across the world, the festival exhibits various dance styles and performances to reinforce the feeling of unity and brotherhood across nations whilst keeping the distinctive styles of each culture.
The festival opens on the first evening at 18:30 with the parade through the main street of Lefkada cumulating near the Poet’s Garden with the famous ‘Syrto’ dance; this dance of linked arms, has connected people since ancient Greek times. This is followed at the open air Theatre at 20:30 with a presentation ceremony of the dancers and groups from the various countries which this year includes Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, Estonia, Italy, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Norway, Poland and Serbia who will appear throughout the week.
Each evening the program unfolds with a series of dance shows and performances with skilled dancers and performers presenting pieces from all over the world at the open air Municipal Theatre on the edge of the lagoon.
On the last Sunday of the festival, the grandiose closing ceremony takes place to mark the end of the event where a final dance is performed and gifts are exchanged between the visiting performers.
An amazing cultural event for August and not to be missed if you are visiting Lefkada during this week!
