First Reflections: A Festival Update and Exciting Plans for 2024
Dear friends,
Kalo Mina – Happy October! Today, we find ourselves in a bittersweet moment as the 2023 festival has come to an end, and many of you have returned home or embarked on your continued global adventures. This year’s festival has been nothing short of extraordinary, and we’re deeply grateful for your overwhelming feedback during and after the event. While we’re still processing everything, we can’t help but look back at the 10-day festival with immense gratitude and pride.
For 23 years, every September, our event has been a unique reunion for lifelong friends and chosen family members. You travelled from all corners of the globe to join us under the Greek sun in Skala Eressos, a place once graced by Sappho herself. Your presence here is a deliberate choice, a choice to unwind, indulge, experience community, feel empowered, and, of course, have heaps of fun. The remarkable turnout in 2023 shows that this event is not just wanted and supported by you; it’s something we all need. The festival fulfils our need to gather with like-minded people and immerse ourselves in each other’s company. We’re still humbled that so many new visitors discovered and joined our event this year!
The 2023 program was packed with a plethora of activities, each offered by incredibly talented women who shared their time and skills passionately. These activities have been the glue holding everything together, making this year’s 10-day festival a joyous, diverse, and incredible experience. We extend a massive thank you to all participants that have been part of our festival this year!
Our festival is unique in that it doesn’t take place in some muddy field, a large tent, or a single venue; it’s the entire village of Skala Eressos that comes alive with activities. Each venue in town plays a vital role in welcoming, nurturing, and entertaining our global visitors. The cinema bar, this year operated by the incredible Flamingo Beach Bar team, deserves special recognition for creating a welcoming atmosphere, providing quick and quality service, and always offering it with a big smile and a friendly chat. From fabulous food and drinks to lunchtime concerts and sunset activities, Skala Eressos’ various venues have once more guaranteed our visitors a positive experience before, during, and after the 10-day festival. We especially want to express our gratitude to the owners and teams of Flamingo Beach Bar, Avatara Cafe Bar, Ohana Saloon, Margaritari, Passioni Restaurant, Food by AJ / The Lettuce Cafe, Exis, and Notia Jazz Bar, for hosting many of our activities and parties this year. A special thank you goes to the Eresos Tourism Association, who have generously provided us with workshop and seminar space in their conference room, the old town hall of Skala Eressos.
Our full list of festival supporters will continue to be available on our festival website in the coming months. We invite you to check them out as they offer a wide range of services, from travel and souvenirs to accommodation, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and more. We can’t thank them enough for their support!
Lastly, we extend our most heartfelt thanks to our very dedicated team who tirelessly worked on this past festival. We especially thank Liz, who has played a crucial role this year in making our mutual goal of “organising the best festival yet”, true for us all. We also thank Luisa, Funda, Dimitra, and Antonia, as well as all our wonderful volunteers. You have all created and secured the extraordinary 2023 festival experience for us all. We’re blessed to have all of you truly amazing women by our side and we express our gratitude in advance for being part of our continued journey still ahead!
As our fantastic team takes a well-deserved break from this year’s festival, we’re already gearing up for the 2024 event. Can we make it better again next summer? Absolutely, and we are determined to do so! This month, we will share the results of the survey that we conducted earlier this summer. Additionally, we’re also working on a feedback form for this year’s festival, again to gather your valuable insights and suggestions for further improvements. We’ll also update our website and social media channels with new banners, and we’re already looking forward to announcing our first confirmed artists and activities for next year’s festival.
So, without further delay, we are excited to inform you all that the dates for next year’s festival will remain the same. From September 10th to 20th, 2024, you are all invited to join us here in Skala Eressos again, to celebrate the 24th edition of the International Eressos Women’s Festival with us, and with each other.
And with that, we say onwards and upwards – the next festival kicks off in only 344 days!
With love,
Wendy & Ioanna
#sapphowomen2023 #sapphowomen2024 #gratitude #skalaeressos #kalomina #kaloxeimona #thankyou #eressoswomensfestival
