Venue
Hydra 180 40, Attica, Greece
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Miaoulia Festival, Hydra guide
Hydra burns an Ottoman flagship replica.
In short
The Miaoulia usually takes the closing weekend of June, with the programme published in late spring. Hydra honours Admiral Andreas Miaoulis and his fire ships with ceremonies and warships offshore, ending when a replica Ottoman ship is set ablaze in the harbour. It suits island visitors; book early, as the small island fills up.
Every June the island of Hydra sets fire to an Ottoman flagship in its own harbour. The ship is a replica, and the blaze closes the Miaoulia, the festival for Admiral Andreas Miaoulis and the Hydriot crews whose fire ships did so much damage to the Ottoman navy in the Greek War of Independence.
It is a small island's festival with national weight. Officials and navy representatives come for the ceremonies, warships anchor off the port, yet most of the week belongs to the islanders themselves, with music, theatre and dancing in the squares. Hydra built and crewed a large share of the rebel fleet, and the Miaoulia is how it still tells that story to itself and to its visitors.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Sunday, 27 June 2027
Where: Hydra, Greece
Venue: Hydra Port
Held: Every year
Type of event: Live Events, Cultural Events, Folk Festival
Currency: Euro (EUR, €)
Time zone: Eastern European Time, UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)
Language: Greek
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Luggage on an island without cars
Nothing on Hydra rolls. A large suitcase becomes a real problem on the stepped stone lanes, so travel with a bag you can carry, or arrange with your hotel in advance for help from the harbour. Shoes with a good grip matter more than anything else you pack: the stones are smooth and steep, and they are hard work in the dark after the fireworks.
Late June sun on the quay is strong. Bring a hat and water for the afternoon wait.
Behaviour at the church service and memorial
The morning ceremonies on the final day are a religious service and a state memorial, not a show. Inside the cathedral, cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice low. At the statue, stay behind the officials and the navy party, and do not walk through the ceremony for a better photograph. Applause and chatter wait until the formal part has finished.
Fireworks safety on a crowded quay
The finale packs people right up to the edge of the quay. Keep small children in hand, and do not let them sit with their legs dangling over the water while the crowd shifts behind them.
When it is over, nobody leaves quickly. The lanes behind the harbour are narrow, so wait for the first rush to clear.
What happens on the day
- Days before
Evenings in the squares
Exhibitions, talks, concerts, theatre, folk dancing, and games on land and in the water.
- Approaching the weekend
Ships arrive
Yachts and navy ships anchor off the port.
- Final day, morning
Cathedral service
At the Monastery of the Dormition on the quay.
- Final day, after the service
Memorial at the Miaoulis statue
Officials and navy representatives lay wreaths.
- Late afternoon
Claim a spot
The quay and the waterside cafés fill first.
- After dark
The battle and the fire ship
A replica Ottoman flagship is set alight in the bay, and fireworks follow.
Staying overnight on Hydra for the final night
A day trip is possible but tight. The burning happens after dark, and you would need a late boat back to Piraeus once it is over. Check the last sailing of the day before you commit, and have a fallback if the crowd at the ticket office is long. Staying the night is far more relaxed, and it lets you see the morning ceremonies on the final day as well.
Give it two nights if you can. Arrive the day before the finale for the concerts and dancing in the squares, then keep the last day for the service, the memorial and the battle. Our Greece travel guide helps fit the island into a longer trip.
Admiral Miaoulis and the 1821 revolution
Andreas Miaoulis made his fortune as a merchant captain shipping wheat, and he poured much of it into the revolution of 1821. In 1822 he was named navarch, admiral of the rebel fleet. Hydra's contribution was enormous for so small an island: some 150 ships and their supplies.
The Hydriot weapon was the fire ship. Crews packed an old hull with anything that would burn, and steered it into an enemy warship to set her alight. The tactic cost the Ottoman navy heavily.
The battle the island replays is Gerontas, fought off Leros in September 1824. Miaoulis and Dimitrios Papanikolis led the Greek ships. Their opening fire ship attack scattered the Ottoman formation, and after the wind changed a second attack burned the flagship of the Tunisian squadron. With their flagships targeted, the Ottoman commanders ordered a disorderly retreat, and Samos stayed in Greek hands. Miaoulis died in 1835. The commemoration that began as a single day for him and the island's revolutionaries now fills most of a week, and it still ends in Hydra's own harbour.
Getting there
To Piraeus
From Athens International Airport, metro line 3 runs to Piraeus in up to 59 minutes on the direct service.
By fast boat
Hydrofoils and fast ferries take 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes depending on the vessel; most call at Poros and some continue to Spetses. Buy tickets ahead for festival weekend and arrive at the port early.
On the island
Hydra bans all wheeled traffic, bicycles included. Walk, or use the mules and donkeys; water taxis link the harbour with the coastal villages.
Day trip
Possible but tight: the burning is after dark, so check the last boat to Piraeus before you commit.
Where to stay during the festival
Hydra has very few rooms, and on the closing weekend they are gone long before summer. Book months ahead; the harbour town keeps you a short walk from the quay.
If the town is full, look at Kamini, Vlychos and Mandraki along the coast, and plan on a water taxi or a walk back after the fireworks.
Weather and what to pack
Late June in the Saronic Gulf is hot, sunny and dry. Athens, the nearest long-term station, averages highs of about 32°C and lows of about 22°C in June, with almost no rain. The harbour stays warm long after dark.
Worth packing
- A hat and sunscreen for the climb above the port
- Comfortable shoes for steep stone lanes
- Water
- A light layer for the boat back
Car hire in Hydra
Airport transfer to Miaoulia Festival, Hydra
Met at arrivals at Athens International Airport (ATH) and driven door to door to Hydra Port.
- Athens International Airport (ATH) → Hydra Port
Restaurants and food in Greece
Places to eat in Greece before or after the celebrations.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
Not yet announced. Going by recent years, expect the finale on the last weekend of June 2027, with the programme published by Hydra's municipality in late spring.
General
No. It is a purpose-built replica of an Ottoman flagship, set alight in the bay as the climax of the re-enactment.
On Hydra. His remains were moved there from Piraeus in 1993 and lie beneath the large bronze statue of him that looks out over the port.
Only with care. The burning takes place after dark, so you need a late boat back. Check the final departure from Hydra for that date before buying; staying overnight removes the risk.
No. The island's ban covers every wheeled vehicle, bicycles included, so leave them on the mainland. Only the rubbish trucks are exempt from the rule.
At Metochi on the Peloponnese coast. Many Athenians drive there, park, and take the small passenger boat across, about 20 minutes.
The cathedral is the former Monastery of the Dormition on the quay. It holds the tomb of Lazaros Kountouriotis, a wealthy sea captain who helped pay for the War of Independence.
The Kountouriotis mansion is a branch of the National Museum of History, and the Museum of Hydra stands next to the Tsamados mansion. Both make a good use of the quieter days before the finale.
Yes. He led the Greek squadron together with Dimitrios Papanikolis, and the fire ship attacks that broke the Ottoman formation were launched under their command.
The hydrofoils and catamarans from Piraeus usually stop at Poros first, and many continue to Spetses, so a few nights on either fits easily around the festival.