Medieval Rose Festival

The Medieval Rose Festival is held every year in Rhodes since 2006. It is initiated and organized by the “Medieval Rose” association with the support of the Cultural Department of the Periphery of South Aegean - Dpt of Dodecanese and the Municipal Cultural Organization of Rhodes . It is an inter-cultural and cross-cultural event, inspired of the medieval history of the island and re-enacts the every day life as well as legendary events of the time. Agenda also includes: artistic events, seminars, bazaars, gastronomy projects, workshops, exhibitions and conventions related to the era.

All forms of arts and crafts, related to medieval/byzantine heritage, may be hosted in this festival: theater, street theater, puppet theater, juggling, historic dances, terpsichorean interactive events inspired of history, live music, story telling, re-enacting and also pageantry, byzantine art and traditional crafts. Exhibitions of photography and photo contests, related to heritage and the festival, are also parts of the agenda.

Participating artists are coming from Greece and Europe. Local cultural groups of grown ups and school children also take part in this festival, while the organizing association runs educational programmes to train them on arts and crafts related to the festival's era. Many artistic and cultural projects are created after a long research in this field, motivating local artists and craftsmen to experiment in the arts and crafts of the time.

All participants should be dressed in a medieval manner (costumes may be provided from the festival's wardrobe) and all settings and equipment used is made of appropriate to the epoch materials. The festival is open to all (locals and tourists) and attracts diverse audiences. The idea is to create the sense of a Journey in Time, where the guests meet the artists (and re-enactors) and interact with them as if they would be in the Middle Ages.

Hosting venues are the Medieval Town of Rhodes and occasionally other well – preserved castles, bastions and fortresses. Main aim is to maintain the cultural heritage of the island and highlight the value of the extant byzantine and medieval architectural treasures, through Art.

The "Medieval Rose" association was founded in 2005 to create and establish the Medieval Festival of Rhodes, an innovative event, unique of its kind in Greece.