Miaoulia Festival on Hydra Island
So named for one of Hydra's more colourful Greek Patriots, Admiral Andreas Miaoulis. A statue of him guards the entrance to the harbour and the main arterial street from the harbour up to the area known as Kala Pigadi is named after him. The Miaoulia Festival is held annually in June.
This is a very specific Hydra event. The Miaoulia Festival has developed from a single day celebration to nearly two weeks of activities and events culminating in a reenactment of the sinking of the Ottoman Empire flag ship in the gulf just outside Hydra Harbour (including a massive firework display) on the final Saturday with a more sombre wreath laying church service closing the festival on the Sunday.
Admiral Miaoulis died on the 24th June 1835, and this day has been celebrated on Hydra as an annual event to commemorate his life, along with others, for the important role he played during the Greek War of Independence.
The date of the Miaoulia Festival is calculated as the weekend following the 24th June and then worked backwards to get the start date which is dependent on how many days will be needed for the number of activities the Festivals Committee of the Municipality can book.
Historically, Miaoulia Festival was a fairly blood-thirsty reminder of the Greeks seeing off the Ottoman Empire during the revolution. Today, it is an opportunity for Hydra to celebrate all that is good about this small tight-knit community and showcases everything from traditional dance to ballet performances, circus acts and choral works, as well as parades, art shows and tributes to some of our citizens and people associated with Hydra who have had a significantly positive impact for the island. For 2015, Leonard Cohen was honoured as was Melina Mercouri. And after his death, the festival of 2017 was also dedicated to Leonard Cohen.
But of course, while the emphasis is on more positive and productive art and cultural aspects of how the island has been shaped and influenced by its history, it has to be said that everyone looks forward the the thrill of the last Saturday night explosions.
The Miaoulia Festival is as much about celebrating the local community and the island's proud history as well as being an important tourism attraction. Throughout Greece, local schools break for the summer in early June. The Miaoulia Festival provides the perfect opportunity for the schools and clubs of Hydra to show case what they have been working on for the year.
Over the two weeks residents and visitors are treated to professional performances and stage shows by celebrities as well as events including Hydra's music, dance and karate clubs. There are also numerous art exhibitions going on.
The Miaoulia Festival can be said to mark the start of the summer high-season!
Some historical facts about Andreas Miaoulis
Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, (born 1769, Negropont, Euboea, Greece—died June 24, 1835, Athens), was a Greek patriot who successfully commanded the Greek revolutionary naval forces during the Greek War of Independence (1821–30).
Miaoulis acquired a considerable fortune from his wheat-shipping business during the Napoleonic Wars and devoted it to the Greek struggle for independence against the Turks.
In 1822 he was given command of the principal Greek naval forces and between May 1825 and January 1826 defeated the Turks in engagements off Modon, Cape Matapan, Suda, and Cape Papas. His forces drove fireships into the Ottoman fleet and it is the sinking in this manner of the Ottoman flagship that is reenacted each year.
After the war he led a faction of the influential pro-English party; later his opposition to the pro-Russian president of Greece, Ioánnis Kapodístrias, and support for the anti government rebels of the isle of Hydra moved him to seize the government naval arsenal at Poros (July 27, 1831) and burn the government fleet (Aug. 13, 1831).
He later served on the commission that offered the Greek crown to Prince Otto (later called Otho) of Bavaria and was made vice admiral shortly before his death in 1835.
Miaoulia Festival 2021 - 7 - 27 June 2021
Re-enactment & Fireworks 26 June 2021
The 200th Anniversary of the Greek War of Independence was particularly well celebrated on Hydra with many events throughout the year. The Miaoulia Festival was particularly exceptional.
