Corfu

Ohi ('No') Day is a national public holiday across Greece, but Corfu's parade is particularly well-attended and musically distinctive given the island's deep tradition of philharmonic societies. The parade takes place around midday and passes through the main thoroughfares of Corfu Town. Afterwards, local tavernas and cafes fill up. By late October the island is firmly in shoulder season - quieter, cooler (around 18-20°C), with the olive harvest beginning - and Ohi Day is a good excuse to visit outside the tourist rush. Most museums and archaeological sites are closed on the holiday itself.

This procession was instituted by Venetian decree and has been held without interruption since the 17th century. It is the quietest and most local of the four annual litanies, taking place after the tourist season has ended. Corfu Town in early November is peaceful, the crowds are Corfiots rather than visitors, and the procession retains an intimacy that the Palm Sunday or August events - swelled by tens of thousands of visitors - do not. If you are in Corfu in the autumn, attending is a genuine and unhurried experience. In 2027 the first Sunday of November falls on 7 November.

Unlike the four litany processions (which commemorate specific miracles), the December feast marks the calendar feast day of Saint Spyridon as set by the Orthodox Church. Pilgrims arrive from across Greece, Romania, Serbia, and beyond. The eve of the feast (11 December) is when the Christmas lights of Corfu Town are traditionally switched on and the scent of loukoumades (fried doughnuts with honey) fills every street corner - a firmly established local tradition tied to this specific feast. The atmosphere is a combination of solemn religious observance and small-town winter festivity. Corfu in December is cold and often rainy by Greek standards (9-13°C) but the Old Town is beautiful and uncrowded.

The Mantzaros Philharmonic Society is one of the oldest and most respected philharmonic organisations in Greece, founded in 1840. Its December 26 concert is a fixture of the Corfiot social calendar - a genuinely local event rather than a tourist offering. The Municipal Theatre of Corfu is a handsome 19th-century venue. If you are in Corfu for the Christmas period, this concert is a very good reason to be here on St Stephen's Day specifically rather than arriving or departing. Note that the concert is confirmed as a recurring tradition; the 2026 specific programme is announced closer to the date.