12 feasts and festivals, July–August, across 12 villages. The big one: Panigiri of Komitata, Erisos (15–16 August). Dates are computed for 2027.
＋ All to calendar (.ics)Full Kefalonia guide →What would the trip cost? →| 24–25 July | Panigiri of Agia Anna, Lakithra · Lakithra (Livathos) |
| 25–26 July | Panigiri of Agia Paraskevi, Faraklata |
| 26 July | Panigiri of Agia Paraskevi, Atheras · Atheras (Paliki) |
| 14–15 August | Panagia Fidousa (the snakes of the Virgin), Markopoulo |
| 14–15 August | Panigiri of the Dormition, Simotata · Simotata (Livathos) |
| 15–16 August | Feast of Agios Gerasimos, Omala monastery · Omala (Agios Gerasimos monastery) |
| 15–16 August | Panigiri of Komitata, Erisos |
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one evening in late July or the first days of August
The municipality of Lixouri and the local fishermen grill sardines by the tonne outside the Ionian Aquarium on the harbour, pour local wine and put on an orchestra for dancing; free, from 9:30pm. It moves around — 3 August in 2023, 28 July in 2026 — so check the Lixouri summer programme; the ferry from Argostoli runs late on the night.
24–25 July · Lakithra (Livathos)
Lakithra, the Livathos village where Byron stayed, celebrates Agia Anna with vespers and a panigiri in the square on the evening of 24 July, with a live orchestra and food and wine from the village association. It opens the busiest fortnight of Livathos panigiria: Faraklata has Agia Paraskevi on the 25th and Fragata a Kefalonian glendi on the 26th.
25–26 July
Faraklata, on the hill road between Argostoli and Sami, throws its panigiri for Agia Paraskevi on the eve, 25 July: vespers, then an orchestra in the square, grilled meat, pies and wine until late. Ten minutes from Argostoli, popular with the town crowd, so the square fills by 10pm.
26 July · Atheras (Paliki)
The northernmost village of the Paliki peninsula celebrates Agia Paraskevi on the night of the 26th itself, from 9:30pm in the central square, with the Angelos Andreatos orchestra, 'abundant food, wine and beer' in the municipality's own words, and dancing. The beach of Atheras below is one of the calmest on the island, so make a day of it.
last Saturday of August · Troianata (Xerizomeno)
At Agia Paraskevi in Xerizomeno, the Robola vineyards of Troianata, the harvest is celebrated the old way: grapes are trodden in the wooden press, the must is boiled into moustalevria pudding and handed out, and there is Robola, food and a Kefalonian glendi with local musicians. Held 30 August in 2025; the field is just off the Argostoli–Sami road below the Omala valley.
around 22 August, one evening
Kefalonian kreatopita, the goat-and-rice pie, gets its own night in Tzannata near Poros: from 8:30pm the community bakes hundreds of pies at the village spring (Vrysi Tzannaton), serves them with wine, and the Angelos Andreatos orchestra plays for dancing in the square. Some 1,500 people came in 2026; it is the last big food night before the Robola weekend, so arrive early for a seat.
weekend around 22–24 August, Saturday–Sunday · Fragata (Omala)
Annual celebration in Frangata (Sami area) of the indigenous Robola variety. Tastings, tavern events, music. Robola only grows on Kefalonia and Zakynthos and has a Protected Designation of Origin. Confirm dates locally — they shift year to year.
a Saturday in the second week of August · Mantzavinata (Paliki)
The Kounopetra cultural association pours the Paliki wine in the old school / association courtyard in Mantzavinata, near Xi beach, from 9:30pm, with traditional food, dancing and the Andreatos band. Held 12 August in 2023 and 8 August in 2026; a good low-key alternative to the Robola crowds.
14–15 August
Between 6 and 15 August small harmless snakes with a cross-like mark appear around the church of the Dormition in Markopoulo, above Katelios, and are handled by the faithful during the vespers of the 14th and the liturgy of the 15th; years when they fail to show (1940, 1953) are remembered as bad omens. It is a pilgrimage, not a panigiri, and the church is tiny, so arrive by 6pm on the 14th if you want to get inside.
14–15 August · Simotata (Livathos)
The Livathos village of Simotata keeps 15 August the traditional way: vespers, then from 8pm on the 14th a village panigiri in the square with live music, food from the cultural association and dancing. Ten minutes from the airport and the Lassi hotels, so easy to reach; the same night Agkonas in Thinia has a panigiri with the Pavlatos orchestra if you prefer the west.
15–16 August · Omala (Agios Gerasimos monastery)
Patron saint of Kefalonia. Major pilgrimage to the monastery in Omala valley; the saint's relics are paraded. The 16/8 procession is the larger of the two annual events.
15–16 August
The northern village of Komitata, on the Erisos peninsula between Agia Efimia and Fiskardo, holds a two-day panigiri on 15–16 August run by the village cultural association: church in the morning, then long tables, grilled meat, wine and a live orchestra in the square both nights. Pyrgi on the Sami side has its own on the 16th and Antipata/Pylaros on the 14th if you are touring.
Dates are resolved for 2027: fixed saint's days as they fall, movable feasts computed from Orthodox Easter (2027: 2 May). Panigiria are usually held on the eve of the saint's day, and a village occasionally shifts one to the nearest weekend — where an entry says "confirm locally", the date comes from recent years' announcements rather than an official calendar. If you know better, the feedback button exists for exactly this.
