Preveza celebrates between the sea and the mountain: in the town with sardines and wine on the waterfront, in the Zalongo villages with the klarino and the circle running to morning.
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May - September
Panigiria run from May to September, and the season peaks at Dekapentavgoustos - the Dormition, on 15 August - when most villages hold their feast. Each programme is set close to its own saint's day, so the list fills late and empties out of season.
In the villages of Zalongo the feasts stretch across ten-day runs rather than single evenings: at Zalongo from July 21 to 31, with traditional dishes and live music, and at Kryopigi Zalongou from August 1 to 10, with pites and traditional tunes. The music is Epirot, the same family as neighbouring Arta and Ioannina: klarino in front, violin and laouto behind, with tsamiko and syrta growing heavier as the night goes on. The feast here has no ticket and no stage - tables are set out, you order, and you rise to join the circle.
In the town itself the great popular celebration is the Sardine Festival. In recent years entry has been free, and the table is simple and specific: grilled sardines, bread and wine, with the local Preveza tomato alongside. The Epirot klarino and traditional dances are there too - the festival keeps the character of a panigiri, simply with the sea beside it instead of the village square. The sardine is the product the town is identified with, and its festival draws people from across Epirus and the surrounding coast.
In the Zalongo villages - at Zalongo from July 21 to 31 and at Kryopigi from August 1 to 10 - and in the town itself, with the Sardine Festival on the waterfront. See the current calendar on Mood.
A popular celebration in the town, with free entry in recent years: grilled sardines, bread, wine and the local Preveza tomato, with Epirot klarino and traditional dancing.
