Calendar / Witness / Attend in Corfu
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Witness / Attend in Corfu
Apr 26 – May 2, 2027Expected
No organizer, no ticket office. This is a living tradition, and the way in is simply to be there; guides get you inside it.
Dates & details verified against: National tourism board ↗
Why go
At eleven o'clock sharp on Holy Saturday, Corfu's Old Town balconies rain botides, thousands of water-filled clay pots shattering on the Venetian streets below, a spectacle that exists nowhere else in the Orthodox world. The whole week builds to it: Good Friday's processions move to funeral dirges from the island's eighteen philharmonic societies, one of the densest band cultures in Europe, and the relics of St Spyridon go through the streets as they have for centuries. There is no organizer to book and no ticket office; the Church, the bands, and the householders who throw the pots carry the tradition, and the municipality simply publishes the program. You find a balcony-facing spot early and let the island do the rest.
When it runs
A movable feast tied to Orthodox Holy Week, falling in April or early May; the botides fall on Holy Saturday morning.
- Apr 26 – May 2, 2027Expected
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
A movable feast: Orthodox Holy Week falls in April or early May, with the botides on Holy Saturday morning; Easter 2027 falls on May 2, putting Holy Week at April 26 to May 2. Book lodging months ahead, as this is Greece's most famous Easter. There is no ticket to buy; position and patience are the currency.
Getting there & around
Fly to Corfu (CFU) or ferry from Igoumenitsa. Stay inside or beside the Old Town; the botides happen around the Liston and the central streets, and the crowds arrive by nine.
Where it happens
Corfu, Greece.
Want to go? The full Corfu guide: conditions, logistics, providers →