Corfu is an ideal holiday destination for anyone who likes to have a lot of interaction with the local people, because the Islanders are amongst the friendliest in the world and love to share their lives with visitors. When the Sardine Festival is in full swing this is where their natural friendliness really comes to the fore, because it is all about sharing their local drinks such as Retsina and, more importantly, their local food, delicious grilled sardines. Planning ahead to enjoy this fabulous festival is easy because it is on the 10th of August every year, no matter what day of the week it happens to fall on and is a day of music, drink and food based in the harbour square of Benitses.
Corfu has managed to stay relatively unspoiled by tourism but it still has an international airport to make travel easy. With flights from most main UK airports – you will be in the air for around three and a half hours – even a short trip is very practical and you will feel all the better for it. Most people who visit Corfu just can’t wait to go back again. Prices once there are very reasonable with accommodation available in everything from five star hotels to little tavernas. When visiting for the Sardine Festival, a taverna would be a great choice as the whole point is that it is very much a local event, not something invented for the tourist trade. If you do want to stay somewhere authentic, but want the added security of booking through a British holiday provider, First Choice can help you find that perfect holiday hideaway.
Things to See With a Belly Full of Sardines
With the Sardine Festival only taking up one day of your holiday it is good that there is so much else to do in Corfu. There is a huge Venetian influence on the island and anyone who has visited Venice will recognize the little alleyways and twisting streets, each one bringing you out to face an unexpected and breathtaking view. The only thing missing is the canals but of course Corfu’s coast is so magical that the love affair with water is still as strongly felt. For anyone who likes to eat the local food on holiday, Corfu is a delight as well. Sardines (of course) feature very widely as well as feta, olives and huge tomatoes. Olive oil here is served as a starter with local bread and is a great way to start any meal – or just snack on when feeling peckish.
Corfu doesn’t do religious parades by half-measures:
Religious festivals
It isn’t all about food, though. Just five days after the Sardine Festival comes the Assumption of the Virgin, with parades through the streets to any church dedicated to the Virgin Mary – and there are many of those across Greece. Whatever your religious persuasion this is a moving moment and a chance to tap in to a national event which is as old as the established church. Nothing could be more different than the Sardine Festival, but they both give the visitor a real taste of Greece and the Islands in a way that visiting at any other time of the year just doesn’t quite deliver.
