May Days and May Nights

The beach chairs and the umbrellas are out now and the tourist season has begun in earnest. Town is gearing up for summer. There are lots of special events taking place in the region this month - too many in fact to list on one page!

We start the month with a public holiday, of course. You can read more about this in our Spotlight feature. Friends of the Animals, Rethymno, hold their Spring Bazaar on May 11th, you will find more details about this event on our Community Page. At a global level we also have Eurovision to look forward to (love it or hate it) in May.

As ever in Rethymnon, many events such as outdoor concerts and theatrical performances tend to be publicised at the last minute (difficult to promote ahead of time when you are producing a monthly publication!). So, keep looking out for fly posters around town, and also check out the events section and forum on the www.rethymnon.biz website.

Between the 1st and 4th of May, the international floating theatre group ‘Ship of Fools’ will be performing their musical comedy: Jason and the Argonauts at the Rethymnon marina. Sadly, on 6th May we say goodbye to Ship of Fools as they sail away to explore new horizons. This alternative theatre group, which was berthed in Rethymnon over the winter, has actively participated in a number of cultural events (including Carnival) during their stay here, and we will miss them! Ship of Fools plan to return to Rethymnon in July, and we look forward to seeing them then. You can find out more about Ship of Fools on the www.azart.org website.

If you know of an event that you would like to see publicised in the Bugle please contact Kate Brusten by phone on 28310 54594 / 6942635525 or by emailing editor@rethymnonnews.com — the deadline for the next issue is 23/05/2008.

Rethymnon Tourism Fair: May 6th to May 10th

As we were going to press, the final preparations were being made for the Spring Rethymnon Tourism Fair which will take place in the municipal park, between May 6th and May 10th (evenings), everybody welcome! For many years now, Rethymnon has held a ‘thank-you’ celebration of tourism at the end of the season, which has generally coincided with United Nations World Tourism Day on September 27th. Last year, for example, there was a five day fiesta in the park, which was great. The visitor was able to enjoy music and dancing and to sample local produce (cheese, raki etc!). There was also a marquee which provided a wealth of informative publicity about the Rethymnon Nomos. Highly enjoyable. However, given that tourism is such an important industry for Rethymnon, the suggestion was made that it might be a good idea to have a celebration of tourism at the beginning of the season, too. This way Rethymnon can say ‘welcome’ to all those who will be working in the industry throughout the summer. Many Tour Reps and Guides come from abroad to spend the season here, and for those who have come to work here for the first time, it can be a steep learning curve. Holding a fair now gives professionals the opportunity to find out what is on offer for tourists well before the mass influx in July. Regardless of occupation though, if September’s celebrations are anything to go by, the fair is bound to be well worth a visit. We’ll report back in June!

Commemoration of the Battle of Crete

In May, veterans and locals pay their respects to those who lost their lives during the Battle of Crete in May 1941. There will be wreath laying ceremonies and memorial services at various sites across the island, including a service at Souda Bay War Cemetery which is due to take place on Saturday 24th May at 6pm. As we went to press, times and dates of memorial events had yet to be confirmed. Once we have more details we will post them on the www.rethymnon.biz website.

You can find out more about the Battle of Crete from our May 2007 edition, and can be accessed through our archive section.

Paradise Singers Return to Crete

The Paradise Singers from the UK are making a return visit to Crete and will be giving a concert on SATURDAY MAY 31ST at 8.30pm in the Catholic Cathedral, 46 Halidon Street, CHANIA. They are a group of accomplished adult singers recruited from various choirs in the UK who are coming to Crete for a week to work with Bob Scott (Kokkino Horio) and then put on a concert of unaccompanied choral music. The repertoire covers a wide spectrum and includes both sacred and secular music, i.e. negro spirituals, anthems, songs from the 40’s and adaptations of English and Scottish folk-songs. The programme will last about 75 - 90 minutes and admission is FREE. Please give the singers your support and come and have a good hour or so of entertainment.