Left: The Patras Carnival (here 2008) originated from a party held some 160 years ago by a merchant named Moretis (1829). The customs of the Greek islanders (unification in 1864) naturally influenced the Patras carnival, as well as the fact that Patras is a port city. The latter also means that in modern times contacts from the West and Italy (such as the Venice Carnival) contributed to the formation of the Carnival. During the second world war, and the wars in the Balkans, there was a silence around the carnival in Patras, but around 1950 the party flourished again carefully and became what it is today: a party where thousands of people gather, dress up and have fun. The city is teeming with people dressed up, light, sound and colorful colors. There is music everywhere, there are performances and the terraces are full. The Patras carnival is one of the largest carnival festivals in Europe. The carnival is called Apokries in Greece. It consists of parties, parades, quests for hidden treasures and children’s activities. The whole thing takes just under 2 months, from January 17 to the beginning of March. The festival starts on January 17, the day of Saint Anthonius, on the Plateia Giorgiou with music, fireworks, dance, and pantomime. Other festivities during the carnival period include the Tsiknopempti (fat Thursday), this day precedes the fast, the city is then full of huge barbecues, live bands and choirs. Then there is the children’s parade in which around 5000 children participate. The Bourboulia is a traditional dance party in which women masked (to prevent recognition) can choose their dance partners. This goes back to a period in which contact between men and women was under strict control, the Bourboulia was a sort of escape. The end of the carnival is an immense Sunday parade in which the ritual burning of the Prince Carnival takes place at the port of Patras.