Rethymno February 15, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

"Join us and be our friend forever!" This is the message of the 2024 Rethymno Carnival! With this invitation, the Carnival of Crete reaches out to all of Greece, opening the curtain for three full weeks of celebration and imagination!

The program of this year's Rethymno Carnival was presented today during a press conference held at the city hall by the organizing committee, in the presence of the Mayor of Rethymno, Mr. Giorgis H. Marinakis.

The program was presented by the Deputy Mayor of Culture and chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mr. Manos Tsakonas,the President of the Rethymno Carnival Groups Association (RCGA), κ. Μιχάλης Πετρακάκης Mr. Michalis Petrakakis, and the person responsible for the opening ceremony to be held on Sunday, February 25, 2024, Mr. Nikos Markantonis..

Also present were other committee members, the Special Municipal Advisor for Tourism, Mr. Konstantinos Gasparakis , the Municipal Councilor of Rethymno, Mr. Nikos Deredakis,and Mr. Manousos Kladhos and Kostas Fetokakis. και Kostas Fetokakis.

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF RETHYMNO, GIORGIS H. MARINAKIS

"With the 2024 Rethymno Carnival as our occasion, we all become one group again. Not only the people of Rethymno but from all corners of Crete and Greece, who come and participate. These are people who believe in this institution, who have integrated and enjoyed with us and come back. Because the Rethymno Carnival expresses exactly what Rethymno is! It's the city you return to, the place of tradition, culture, collectivity, harmony, and ecology, as this year we achieve an 80% reduction in paper waste. This institution is evolving more and more. It touches on sensitive social issues, as evidenced by the participation of 'The Smile of the Child,' sending the message that although we entertain, we are mindful and caring about all the difficult social issues of everyday life and towards all our fellow humans who need support, especially the children.

We thank the organizing committee, mainly, the groups, the carnival participants, and the volunteers, the sponsors, and all those who work for this year's organization and have kept this great institution of our island alive all these years, rightfully earning one of the top positions in all of Greece. I wish everything goes well, that we all enjoy and have fun safely without incidents of intoxication, and that we implement this wonderful program of events that reflects the sensitivity, participation, imagination, and willingness of the people of Rethymno and our friends to bring joy to those who need it."

KEY ELEMENTS OF THIS YEAR'S ORGANIZATION

• Anything concerning this year's organization will be available on the official website, at the electronic address https://rethymnocarnival.gr/
• This year there's an 80% reduction in paper use, and the Rethymno Carnival is primarily promoted digitally through a QR code that will be available on the event's poster and posted throughout the city of Rethymno. The poster, created by Stelios Kalogerakis, and the stickers with the QR code are the only printed paper elements of this year's organization!
• The carnival this year includes 27 groups with 23 floats. The Municipality of Rethymno provides materials worth 300 euros for each float.
• The Rethymno Carnival also collaborates for the first time with 'The Smile of the Child' organization, particularly concerning the children's treasure hunt and the children's carnival parade.

"ONE GROUP"

The message Rethymno sends to all of Crete and all of Greece is to become... ONE GROUP!

"Cooperation, companionship, and team spirit have always been driving forces for the Rethymno Carnival. The thematic core of the 2024 Rethymno Carnival is Groups as a means of creation and as a source of positive emotions.

Rethymno has been a pivotal point between East and West, as well as a crossroads of Mediterranean cultures, making Rethymnians particularly extroverted. This outwardness, which mixes creative force with inexhaustible fun, has always provided fertile ground for groups of creative people to flourish. The Carnival itself was a crossroads where inventiveness and creative mood meet fun and entertainment.

Groups also formed the main reason for the contemporary revivals of the Carnival. Our city constitutes the ideal canvas to spread the colors of interpersonal relationships, where all groups become one big group with a common goal. Visitors who decide to come to the dozens of Triodion events become fundamental and equal members of this group, experiencing the unique experience of the Rethymnian Carnival.

decisive moment when creativity transforms into cheerfulness and dance. The main theme is inspired by Henri Matisse's famous painting "The Dance" (1910), from Minoan idols of cycladic dances dating from 1650 to 1400 BC, from Minoan frescoes, as well as from traditional embroidery and craft motifs. The city of Rethymno, with its distinctive multicultural architecture, is in the foreground. The modern era meets the distant past, where the roots of the Rethymno Carnival lie. From Minoan ceremonies and Venetian events to the most modern revivals of the Rethymno Carnival, the common denominator is groups and relationships between people. The group elevates the spirit, morale, and quality of life.

Today, our message is more timely than ever. The antidote to alienation and loneliness, people glued to small or large screens, is the group! Only the group!

Join us and be our group forever!

THE QUEEN OF THE RETHYMNO CARNIVAL

The Queen of the 2024 Rethymno Carnival will be Miss Crete 2022, born and raised in Rethymno and a carnival participant herself, Daphne Lazidou

Her message for this year's organization is:

"Every girl, when she is small, dresses up as a princess and dreams of becoming a Queen.

Today, I feel my childhood dream becoming a reality. After so many years, I become the Queen in the most beautiful carnival kingdom of Greece.

I would like to thank the carnival committee for the honor and joy they gave me to be the Queen of the Rethymno Carnival.

My most beautiful memories are from the Carnival... and one of the main reasons that led me to the professional path I followed was the world of colors, transformation, and beauty I experienced through the group of the Carnival!"

WITH GLAMOROUS NAMES

Glamorous artistic names will be present at this year's Rethymno Carnival.

The opening ceremony on Sunday, February 25, 2024, will culminate with a concert by the popular Anastasia at Agnostos Stratiotis Square, who captivates with her amazing voice and songs.

Also, immediately after the night parade on Saturday, March 16, 2024, singer Georgia Ntagaki is expected to enchant the audience in the Mikrasiaton Square in the old town.

On the same day, the children's parade will end at the 3rd^th Gymnasium – Lyceum with the amazing «Hanna Zoo» a beloved music band for our little friends.

ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΡΕΘΕΜΝΙΩΤΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΡΝΑΒΑΛΙΟΥ 2024