In case you’ve ever wondered what gets Cretans out of the house in August besides the heat, here’s your answer: music under the biggest, boldest full moon of the year. On Friday, August 8, 2025, starting at 21:00 sharp, the garden at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion becomes the city’s unofficial front porch for an evening called: Night of Enchantment – Mikis Theodorakis & Nikos Skalkottas. Yes, the event title is a mouthful. No, that won’t stop locals and tourists from packing the place. Entry is free, but seats disappear faster than a sunburn after midnight.
Where and When
Event Highlights:
- Outdoor concert under the full August moon
- A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis, born 100 years ago in 1925 (do the math), and the slightly older Nikos Skalkottas
- Part of the 5th Crete Festival, because apparently, one festival a year isn’t enough for this island
- Music mix featuring heartfelt Greek classics and frantic folk dances
- Star performance from the Athens String Quartet and soprano Vivi Sykioti
- Collaboration between the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and the Region of Crete
What’s On the Playlist? Brace Yourself.
- Mikis Theodorakis: Ten wildly popular songs arranged for soprano and string quartet. Expect both happy nostalgia and a sudden urge to wave your arms.
- Night of Enchantment
- The Shore
- Beautiful City
- My Love
- If You Remember My Dream
- My April
- Make Up Your Bed
- Margarita Mayopoula
- It Rains in the Poor Neighborhood
- Moon, You Put a Spell on Me
- A string quartet piece by Theodorakis with the uplifting title “Maza”
- Nikos Skalkottas: Five Greek dances with names so regional, your GPS might be needed:
- Epirus
- Cretan
- Tsamikos
- Arkadian
- Klephtic
About the Composers
- Mikis Theodorakis: Born in Chios in 1925, with roots in Crete and Asia Minor. Folk, Byzantine, and European classical styles all stirred together. His songs have carried Greeks through their joys, their fights, and the endless struggle to find their keys.
- Also wrote operas and symphonies, which, frankly, the general public cares about less.
- Had a knack for weaving art with politics, because Greece loves a good argument
- Nikos Skalkottas: Born 1904 in Chalkida, about twenty years ahead of Theodorakis, to make sure he’d never play backup.
- A proud representative of the so-called Second Viennese School, he mixed Greek traditional music with European style and exported his work everywhere except, apparently, to Athens before he died.
- Modernist composer who managed to befriend Theodorakis without feeling threatened by the younger man’s hair
The Athens String Quartet
- Founded in 2010
- Features musicians from the State Orchestra of Athens and the National Opera
- Has performed everywhere from the Athens Concert Hall to out-of-the-way Greek towns and a suspiciously large number of museums
- Known for collaborations with other musicians, world premieres of Greek and international works, and for playing in places most people avoid after dark (hospitals, prisons, rehab centers)
- Won an award from the Gina Bachauer Association, so yes, they’re legit
About Soprano Vivi Sykioti
- Born in Athens with a professional trail from the “Merry Widow” in Italy to multiple roles for the Greek National Opera
- Performed in much of Europe and major productions, sometimes even outside Greece’s borders
- Frequent winner at international vocal competitions, in other words, she knows what she’s doing.
- Studied at the Municipal Conservatory of Nikaia and is close to finishing her degree in Theater Studies at EKPA
Here’s the Event Schedule
- Start: 21:00 sharp (bring a watch, not island time)
- First half: Ten Theodorakis songs, including “Night of Enchantment”
- Next: String Quartet No. 4 “Maza” by Theodorakis
- Finale: Skalkottas’ five regionally confused Greek dances
Why Should Anyone Care?
- It’s a rare chance to watch top musicians play Greek music classics outdoors for free.
- The August full moon provides better lighting than any influencer’s ring lamp.
- The venue is so scenic, even the statues try to get a good seat.
- Yes, you might even learn something about Greek culture, but there’s no exam.
Tourists and locals, set an alarm, grab a fan, and show up before the seats (and the moon) are gone. This isn’t just another concert. It’s a cultural spectacle that might leave you humming, doubting your sunblock, and wondering where the next moonlit event will be.
