What's on in Kefalonia, Greece through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)

Busy — Clean Monday, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Clean Monday

  23 FebCarnivalClosuresCrowded

  Clean Monday, the first day of Orthodox Lent and 48 days before Easter, is a public holiday. Offices and most shops close, families head outdoors to picnic and fly kites, and tavernas serve Lenten food such as seafood, bean dishes and flat lagana bread. Source ↗

Still on: Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  25 MarNational holidayClosures

  25 March, also the feast of the Annunciation, is a national holiday. Schoolchildren and bands parade through town centres under blue-and-white flags, banks, offices and most shops close, and fried salt cod with garlic sauce is the traditional lunch. Source ↗

Still on: Clean Monday (23 Feb), Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)

Peak crowds — Orthodox Easter, Easter holidays (Orthodox) in Greece

• Holiday

  Orthodox Easter

  10–13 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  Athens comes over for the long weekend and it is the moment the island wakes up: tavernas reopen, the ferries add sailings and the villages roast lamb on the Sunday. Source ↗

Still on: Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Nature

  Loggerhead turtles

  1 May – 15 Sep · usuallyTurtle nesting

  Loggerheads nest on the south-coast beaches around Katelios through the summer, and adults hang around the fishing boats in Argostoli harbour waiting for scraps.

Still on: Orthodox Easter (10–13 Apr)

Busy — Summer holidays in Greece, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  1 Jun – 15 Oct · usually

  The Ionian is calmer and clearer than the Aegean because the meltemi does not reach here. Myrtos is the postcard; the small coves on the Paliki side are the swim.

• Hazard

  Wildfire season

  15 Jun – 30 SepSmoke season

  The fir forest on Mount Ainos and the scrub above the coast road carry real risk in a dry summer, and the national park closes to visitors on high-risk days. Source ↗

Still on: Loggerhead turtles (1 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Loggerhead turtles (1 May – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), Wildfire season (15 Jun – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — August peak, Summer holidays in Greece

• Holiday

  August peak

  1–31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Greek holidays and the Dormition on 15 August fill the island at once, and the ferries from Kyllini and Patras are the choke point. Hire cars go before rooms do. Source ↗

• Festival

  Snakes of the Virgin, Markopoulo

  6–16 AugReligious feast

  Small harmless cat snakes turn up in the church at Markopoulo in the days before 15 August and are handled by the congregation. Villagers read a year with no snakes as a bad sign. Source ↗

• Nature

  Robola harvest

  20 Aug – 30 Sep · usually

  The vines grow on limestone rubble on the slopes below Ainos and are picked from late August. The cooperative at Omala opens for tasting through the harvest.

Still on: Loggerhead turtles (1 May – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), Wildfire season (15 Jun – 30 Sep)

Busy — Summer holidays in Greece, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Loggerhead turtles (1 May – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), Wildfire season (15 Jun – 30 Sep), Robola harvest (20 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Ohi Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Out of season

  20 Oct – 15 AprOff-season shutdownClosures

  Charter flights stop, the resorts board up and the ferry timetable thins to a couple of sailings a day. Argostoli and Lixouri stay open; the beach villages do not.

• Holiday

  Ohi Day

  28 OctNational holidayClosures

  28 October marks Greece's refusal of the 1940 Italian ultimatum. School and military parades fill town centres in the morning, flags hang from balconies, and banks, offices and many shops close for the day. Source ↗

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)

Busy — Christmas holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Out of season (20 Oct – 15 Apr)