Carnival in Rethymnon

The Carnival in Rethymnon has a history of almost one century. The first elements of humorous performances date back to 1915. During this epoch Carnival in Rethymnon was celebrated with romantic dances, and “His Majesty King Carnival” was welcomed with the necessary respect “in an atmosphere of escapades and unrestrained laughter!…”

The custom of hunting the hidden treasure in the beginning of the 90s gave rise to the creation of the “groups”, which in 1993 were asked by the Mayor, Mr. Dimitris Archontakis, to take on the organization of the Carnival. Thus the Rethymnian Carnival became the Cretan Carnival.

In 2005 twenty-three groups took part in the great Carnival parade in the center of the town. The Parade started at 14:00 and thousands of people came to Rethymnon from all over Crete.