The Municipality of Thessaloniki is preparing an important international cultural representation, as the Directorate of Education, Sports and Volunteering and in particular the Department of Events and Sports Programs plans to participate with an 18-member Traditional Dance group in the Salalah International Folklore Festival, which will be held in the Sultanate of Oman from July 16 to 21.
The festival is hosted in the Dhofar region, in southern Oman, an area known for the special natural phenomenon of Khareef, during which tropical weather conditions prevail with increased rainfall and fog. This period transforms the landscape into lush greenery, creating an attractive destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors. According to data from the National Center for Statistics and Information of Oman, in the fall of 2024, the region attracted more than 1,048,000 tourists.
The invitation to the Municipality of Thessaloniki was made by the International Union for Folklore Development, a member of UNESCO’s International Organization of Folklore (IOV), and is part of the framework for strengthening cultural cooperation between countries. The choice of the Greek group to represent the country at the festival — where only one group per state participates — is a sign of recognition and strengthening the extroversion of Greek culture.
The festival includes, in addition to performances by dance groups, a multitude of parallel activities, such as galas, concerts, thematic exhibitions, and presentations of local gastronomy. Through this participation, the Municipality of Thessaloniki actively contributes to the preservation and promotion of Greek cultural heritage, in an international environment where folk culture functions as a bridge of understanding and dialogue between peoples.
Participation in the festival enables the members of the dance group to come into contact with traditional cultures from different continents, while simultaneously showcasing our Greek costumes, music, and dance tradition to an audience that does not often have access to such experiences. This is an action that strengthens not only cultural diplomacy but also the sense of continuity of Greek folk culture at an international level.
