Why does everyone seem to be heading to the hills to listen to some music? Every summer, the Pindus, Helicon, Kallidromo and other mountain ranges echo with melodies, attracting tens of thousands of visitors seeking an experience far different from a concert in a city theater or stadium. The number of festivals is growing each year, including those in Anilio, Arvanitsa, Pozar, Elateia, Nestorio, Vovousa and Helmos. Some have been around for decades, while others are newly established, responding to the public’s thirst for mountainous musical adventures.
Long-standing and newer events have thrived in recent years, drawing more campers and going to greater efforts to better accommodate them. “The idea to launch a festival came up due to the lack of snow during the previous ski season. We decided to go ahead with it, and it succeeded, so we’re continuing,” says Alexis Agrios, director of the Kalavryta Ski Resort and head of the Helmos Mountain Festival, which will be hosted for the second year from June 21 to 24 at the foot of the ski slopes in the northern Peloponnese.
“This ties into people’s desire to visit the mountains outside of winter. We want visitors to get to know the area and see how beautiful the mountain is in spring and summer. Let’s not forget that while the rest of Greece is experiencing temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius this time of year, up here it’s around 15 degrees.
” “Our goal is to develop alternative tourism and offer visitors a .
