The popular Fistiki Fest (pistachio festival) on Aegina island returns for is 12th installment after being cancelled last year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Held at the end of each harvesting season, the festival draws large crowds to the island, and if the amount of tourism on the island so far this summer is any inclination, this year’s festival will be one of the busier ones so far.

The star of the show is the island’s famous Protected Designation of Origin pistachio nut. Small but flavorful, it’s known among chefs and foodies as one of the most stand-out products of Greece. Visitors will be able to sample and purchase pistachio products, from nut butters and ice cream to pesto and liqueur, from the island’s producers, which all set up kiosks at a trade fair along the port street.

On Friday, September 17th, an agricultural seminar will discuss, among other things, the carbon footprint and the decrease of greenhouse gases in the cultivation and processing of the pistachio. On Saturday, September 18th, a team of cooks from the Chefs’ Brigade Greece – Slow Food Community will present a menu inspired by the island’s eating habits and local produce from the time when Aegina served as the first capital of modern Greece, until today. Meanwhile, during the daily creative workshops for children at the historic Markello’s Tower, kids will create art, make their own pistachio printed t-shirts, and decorate the square around the tower with pistachio leaves.

But as every year, the festival will not only center around the pistachio. Concerts by both local and famous musicians (Kostis Maraveyias, Pavlina Voulgaraki, Stephanos Korkolis, Sophia Manousaki and others) are planned for each of the evenings, as are various theatrical performances, while an “International Ceramics Symposium” will include an exhibition with ceramics dating from Byzantine times until today.

Find the full program, provided by the Aegina Fistiki Fest, below. For information about pre-festival events, contact the organizers here.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

10:00 PORT OF AEGINA: OPENING OF THE TRADE FAIR

18:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. Creative workshop: “Decorating the trees of the Tower, inspired by the grape and the pistachio.” Children, using natural materials and drawing on inspiration from grapevines and pistachio trees, will decorate the trees around the Tower.

18:45 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. Impressive experiments with Philippos Zikiris. A mad scientist visits Aegina to fascinate the young and old with the most impressive and original experiments!

19:30  MARKELLOS’ TOWER: International Ceramics Symposium. “Revisiting Ceramics of Red clay (1000-1100°C) with Glazing.” Ceramics exhibit from Byzantine times to today. Curation: “Aegina and Ceramics Team” of the Association of Active Citizens of Aegina. Ground floor: Decorative techniques in Byzantine ceramics. 1st floor: Video projection of the chronicling of the symposium. 2nd floor: 9 ceramicists-15 days in the workshop-meetings, exchanges, experimentation. Opening on September 16 at 19.30. Fistiki Fest opening hours: September 17-19, 10:00-13:00 & 18:00-22:00. From September 20-October 10, weekdays from 18:00-20:30 & Saturdays and Sundays 10:30-13:00 & 18:00-20:30.

20:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. Homer’s “Odyssey” a theatrical production by the “Children’s Dream Team” of the Women’s Association of Aegina. A group of ten youngsters with one guitar will animate before the eyes of its audience the many adventures of Odysseus. Scenario/Direction: Antonis Glavas, Costumes: Rena Pappa, Sets: Panayiotis Glavas, Choreography: Antonis Hnarakis, Flora Glava, Singing Coach: Yiannis Vryzakis, Guitar: Mary Chaldaiou. Actors and singers: Petros Flemetakis, Spyros Flemetakis, Olga Stavropoulou, Chrysoula Lada, Romanos Andreadis, Sozia Ropaïti, Nancy Yiannitsi, Dia Garner, Anthe Yiannitsi, Antonis Glavas.

21:00 ST. NICHOLAS ON THE PIER: Concert: “Heart of Aegina – Our Own Voices.” Participants: Stephania Morozini-voice, Pandelis Kalamakis voice and guitar, Tassos Loukos guitar and voice. The concert will open with the “Aegina Estudiantina” under the direction of Alexander Spitzing. Curator: Stephania Morozini.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021

17:00 PREMISES OF THE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AEGINA “KAPODISTRIAS”: Children’s entertainment. Table Tennis Tournament. Organized by the Educational Association of Aegina “Kapodistrias.”

17:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. “Let’s journal” A notebook and diary making workshop for teenagers by Anthe Theodoropoulou.

19:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s Entertainment. Gastronomy for children with chef Iacovos Apergis in collaboration with the 12th Aegina Fistiki Fest Gastronomy Team.

19:00 HISTORICAL & FOLKLORE MUSEUM OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF AEGINA: Agricultural Seminar. The Benaki Phytopathological Institute and its contribution to Greek agriculture. Οrganic control of pests of the pistachio tree in inhabited areas. Dr Panayiotis Mylonas, Deputy Director of the Institute. Τhe carbon footprint and the decrease of greenhouse gases in the cultivation and processing of the pistachio. Dr Maria Doula, Researcher, Director of Non-Parasitic Diseases Laboratory. Seminar curators: the Agricultural Association of Aegina in association with the Benaki Phytopathological Institute

20:30 THE PORT OF AEGINA: Young athletes from the Aegina Yacht Club set sail to welcome us to the Festival. Event Curator: George Bitros, Head Master.

21:00 ST. NICHOLAS ON THE PIER: Concert: Stephanos Korkolis and Sophia Manousaki will “narrate with notes” his musical stories, songs he loved as an adolescent and youth, chosen works of his own along with other songs by famous Greek composers.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

10:00 AGII ASOMATI, VOURKANO NEIGHBORHOOD: Children’s entertainment. “How do you make wine?” Visit a modern winery guided by Stelios Lambadarios, a third-generation businessman in the family business who will speak to the visitors about how wine is made as well as the cultivation of the Aegina potato. Transport to and from the winery by your own means. Meet at the entrance of the winery, wearing masks. 

11:30 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. “Grapes, Pistachios and Colors” an Art Workshop for children aged 5 to 12 given by the Museum of Greek Children’s Art. Coordinators: Athanasia Sklirou, Artist, MGCA Curator & Stathoula Marini, Museologist, MGCA Communications Manager.

17:00 THEODORA CHORAFA’S ATELIER, PERIVOLA: International Ceramics Symposium. Open Doors at the Workshop.

17:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. Chess Tournament by the Educational Association of Aegina “Kapodistrias.” Organized by: Vassilios Mousouleas.

19:15 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. “Once upon a time in Aegina” from the Small Theater of Central Greece – the Puppet Show of Anastasia Xiromeritou. A beautiful myth that harmoniously blends yesterday with today, the vine with the pistachio, tradition with reality.

19:30 THE OLD PIER: Executive chef Nikos Fotiadis along with a team of cooks of the Chefs’ Brigade Greece – Slow Food Community will present a menu entitled “Aegina 21” inspired by the eating habits and local produce from the time of Kapodistrias until today. The chemist, oenologist and international wine critic Maria Tzitzi will pair the menu with wines from grape varieties from the Peloponnese. Participating Chefs: Nikos Fotiadis, Georgia Koutsoukou, Xenia Bouzaranidou, Christos Athanasiadis, Giannis Stanitsas, Giannis Parikos. Organization: Friends of the Fistiki Fest.

21.00 ST. NICHOLAS ON THE PIER: Concert: Kostis Maraveyias and his associates will, in their own unique way, invite us all to become one big group of friends again, to feel, to remember, to laugh, to be moved and at the end of the evening leave as happier and more lighthearted people! Organization: Region of Attica – Peripheral Islands Unit

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

10:00: MARKELLOS TOWER: Children’s entertainment: Art workshops: “The potato comes to life” through various creations using potatoes. “With a bunch of grapes and a cluster of pistachios”: Children will bring their own T-shirts and decorate them with leaf and cork prints and the Fistiki Fest logo, creating their own souvenir from this year’s Festival.

12:00 MARKELLOS’ TOWER: Children’s entertainment. Bubble show by Philippos Zikyris. Many and colorful bubbles will enchant young and old alike, leaving behind what has kept us away from happiness recently.

21:00 ST. NICHOLAS ON THE PIER: Concert: Greek singer and songwriter of alternative pop and rock music, Pavlina Voulgaraki, will take us on a musical journey but also on a journey of the soul with all of us as her fellow travelers

24:00 CLOSING OF THE TRADE FAIR, PORT OF AEGINA

To participate in all the workshops and/or the Master Classes, a reservation is required at (+30) 22970.22067.