The Chestnut Festival of Skotina, Pieria | Tradition, Community & Local Life

Skotina, Pieria · Local Traditions · Greek Music & Dance · Chestnut Season

Autumn in Pieria brings together the landscape, local produce and traditions that have shaped village life for generations. Around Mount Olympus, chestnut season connects the countryside with local food, family memories and celebrations shared by the community.

On Saturday, 10 October 2026, I returned to the Chestnut Festival of Skotina for its 10th edition, held in the courtyard of the village primary school. I have experienced the festival in previous years, both through my work in television production and during visits with family and friends. Each time, it has offered a glimpse of how a local harvest can become a reason for people to come together.

This year’s celebration brought together live music, traditional dances representing different parts of Greece and roasted chestnuts offered free to visitors. The festival is worth discovering not only for its seasonal produce, but also for the cultural experience it offers in a village on the eastern side of Mount Olympus.

Skotina: A Village Connected with Chestnuts

Skotina has a story to discover beyond its coastal surroundings. As the landscape rises towards Ano Skotina, chestnut groves form part of the countryside, linking the village with the autumn harvest and a longstanding local agricultural tradition.

The festival brings this connection into a shared celebration. Chestnuts are more than a seasonal treat here: they are part of the relationship between the surrounding landscape, local food and the people who have cultivated and enjoyed the harvest over the years.

In an earlier story, I explored the chestnut groves and the memories associated with the harvest. The festival offers another perspective on the same tradition, showing how a product of the land can bring people together around music, food and local culture.

Read: Chestnut Season in Skotina, Pieria | Harvest, Mountain Life & Local Stories

A Celebration of Greek Music, Dance and Tradition

I arrived at around 19:00, when the celebration was already well underway. Music filled the area around the school courtyard, while visitors gathered to enjoy the performances and the atmosphere of a traditional Greek village festival.

The announced programme brought together dance groups representing traditions from Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, the Aegean islands, Pontus and Crete. Argentine tango added a different style to the evening, giving the programme an unexpected contrast with the regional dances.

Live music was another central part of the celebration. The programme featured the musical group led by Giorgos Sfakianakis from Heraklion, Crete, alongside young musicians from the Olympus Music Workshop under the musical instruction of Nikos Patris. A musical ensemble led by Manolis Tsiaparis and Nikos Patris was also included in the programme.

Bringing so many regional traditions together gave the festival a wider cultural character. Different musical styles, rhythms and dance traditions shared the same setting, offering visitors an opportunity to encounter the diversity of Greek cultural expression in one evening.

For travellers interested in Greek culture, this is one of the festival’s strongest attractions. These traditions are not encountered in a museum or a staged tourist setting alone; they form part of a community celebration rooted in local life.

Roasted Chestnuts and the Taste of Autumn

Roasted chestnuts remain at the heart of the celebration. In previous years, I remember receiving them in plastic cups, a simple detail that has become part of my own experience of the festival. The tradition continued this year, with roasted chestnuts offered free to visitors.

The large turnout was a reminder of the festival’s appeal. For many visitors, the opportunity to enjoy freshly roasted chestnuts while listening to music and watching traditional dances is part of what makes the event distinctive.

The announced programme also included chestnut-based dishes, highlighting the possibilities of this local ingredient beyond the traditional roasting fire. Chestnuts can be used in flour, pasta, baked goods and other preparations, offering ways to connect the harvest with contemporary local food culture.

A Popular Celebration in the Heart of Skotina

When I arrived at around 19:00, the festival was already attracting a large crowd. Residents and visitors had gathered in the school courtyard to enjoy the performances, the seasonal food and the shared atmosphere of the celebration.

The strong turnout reflected the appeal of an event that combines a local agricultural tradition with a varied cultural programme. For Skotina, the festival provides an opportunity to share its connection with chestnuts, welcome visitors and introduce more people to the village and its traditions.

Ultimately, it is this combination of local identity, music, food and community spirit that makes the Chestnut Festival a noteworthy autumn experience in Pieria.

Television Coverage and a Wider Audience

The festival also received television coverage, offering an opportunity to introduce the event to audiences beyond Skotina and the wider Pieria region. Such coverage can help more people discover the village, its chestnut-growing landscape and the cultural programme that accompanies the annual celebration.

With free admission, local produce, regional music and traditional dances, the festival brings together several elements that make an autumn visit to Pieria rewarding. It connects the harvest with the cultural life of the village and gives visitors a reason to explore this part of the region beyond the familiar coastal and mountain destinations.

Planning a Visit to the Chestnut Festival

If you are planning an autumn trip to Pieria, look out for announcements about the next Chestnut Festival in Skotina. The date, programme and practical arrangements may change from year to year, so check the latest information before travelling.

The festival is also a good starting point for discovering the area beyond the event itself. The chestnut groves around Skotina and the route towards Ano Skotina offer another perspective on the landscape and traditions behind the harvest. To explore that side of the story, read our account of chestnut season in the village.

Discover Skotina Through Its Traditions

The Chestnut Festival of Skotina is more than a celebration of a local product. It brings together the flavours of autumn, live music, dance traditions from across Greece and the people who keep local customs alive.

For visitors interested in culture and everyday life, it offers a chance to experience a village celebration while discovering the landscape on the eastern side of Mount Olympus. The chestnuts provide the starting point, but the wider experience lies in the music, the food and the opportunity to encounter local traditions in their community setting.

Skotina is worth discovering beyond festival day, too. Its chestnut groves, traditional surroundings and position between the mountain and the coast offer a different perspective on Pieria — one that becomes especially vivid during the autumn harvest.