Every year on the 1st of October Ithaki welcomes everyone to the Sardine Festival.  A church service in the church ruins at Polis Bay, just below Stavros, begins the ceremony to bless the fish, the fisherman and the catch for the season. The Local Council fries up the first catch of sardines and pours the wine for all to enjoy without cost.  A donation is always welcome however. It's a time for all the family.

People from all over the island came to enjoy the morning celebrations, making the most of the fine, warm weather the first day October was blessed with. It's a time for the community to reconnect with itself after the Summer season.