From the first year of the festival in 2021, we contributed with great pleasure to this project by offering free accommodation to artists and contributors involved in the festival. In the second year of the festival in 2022, we once again provided free accommodation and also supported the organization with a donation of funds.

We warmly thank both the organizers and the Municipality of Ios as well as all the artists and technicians for their contribution to such an important event for Ios.

Here is a summary of the Ios Festival presentation

What is the Ios Festival?

“The Ios Festival is a new, multi-themed festival that aims to include various forms of art in a unique dialogue. Diverse artistic activities such as music, visual arts, theater, dance, and performance are called upon to converse and invite locals and visitors of the island of Ios in an effort to explore and reinforce its new and contemporary identity.

What is the goal of the Ios Festival?

“Ios is an island with a rich history and a multifaceted character, always a destination of international interest but also of conflicting pleasures. In recent years, it has been trying to lay the foundations for a sustainable future development of the place and the attraction of different types of tourists. Through a program that combines contemporary artistic creation of all kinds and mainly participatory creation, the festival focuses on shaping a unique experience for the residents and visitors of the island, highlighting places, points and stories as well as strengthening the local potential and especially that of children. The goal of the Ios Festival is to redefine the identity of the island, to strengthen the local community culturally, and to lay the foundations for a continuous and creative dialogue with the rest of Greece and abroad. The Municipality of Ios wants to create a cultural dialogue without geographic boundaries and create conditions for a better future at the local and global level. The festival will initially take place every summer, and the goal is for its activities to eventually spread throughout the year.”

The experience of the Ios Festival and its relationship with the space

The multifaceted character of the Ios Festival will unfold in various points of the island with the aim of a new experiential apprehension of space and the island both by the locals and the visitors. Indicative spaces that will host the festival are the Papapetrou Hall, the Central Square, the Windmills, the Odysseas Elytis Theater, the Gaitis Museum (which will operate by 2022), the former K.D.A.P. building, beaches of the island, as well as the labyrinthine town of Ios with unique points that will reveal its past and open new paths to its future.

Το άρθρο An Annual Art Festival In Ios εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Kritikakis Village Hotel.

In the two-page article, we expressed our opinion on the necessity of creating a local collective body that would operate towards the benefit of the hoteliers of Ios. We highlight that such an official collective entity is essential for joining our forces in facing common difficulties as well as for creating a common vision.

Το άρθρο Open Call for a Hoteliers Association εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Kritikakis Village Hotel.

In the two-page article, we expressed our opinion on the positive signs but also the difficulties that our industry faced during the restart of tourism after the lockdown. We engaged with topics such as the challenges that we faced as an industry in a broader context, as well as the adversities that occurred at the local level.

Το άρθρο COVID 19 – Recommencing Tourism εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Kritikakis Village Hotel.

We offered disposable masks to serve the needs of the medical staff of the Health Center, as well as a fund donation to the Municipality of Ios to support their efforts in covering the housing and feeding needs of those affected in the quarantine hotel.

Το άρθρο Supporting our Community εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Kritikakis Village Hotel.

Initially, the cleaning was carried out, followed by the addition of new soil and planting with new plants. With the valuable assistance of our agricultural collaborators from “Ios Gardens,” we chose plants whose origin is directly connected to Greek nature and which are resistant to the local climate, such as lavender, rosemary, bougainvillea, and olive trees. In addition, an automatic watering system was installed, and finally, a study and application of lighting was carried out to highlight the monument and the informational signs and to create an overall atmospheric lighting. After the work was completed, the monument was transformed once again into a jewel given the attention that it deserves.

In the second phase, with the approval of the Municipality of Ios, we plan to restore the surroundings of the monument such as the flooring and walls.

Το άρθρο Taking Care of Tradition εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Kritikakis Village Hotel.