Event· Kos· Greece — Dodecanese, Sporades & North Aegean

Hippocratia Festival & Hippocratic Oath Re-enactment (Kos)

36° 52.5′ N · 27° 15.4′ E

Summer Hippocratia is Kos's biggest cultural festival, with daily events through the season; its centrepiece is the re-enactment of the Hippocratic Oath at the Asklepion, where a wreathed young man recites the oath at the Altar of Asclepius, led by flute players and maidens in white.

Dodecanese

Practical

Coordinate is the Asklepion (see separate entry). The oath ceremony was first held in 1952 by students of the Hippocratic High School of Kos and is now performed annually under the municipality of Kos, and also on request for medical conferences; the municipality calls it 'the topmost event of Hippocratia Festival' (kos.gr). The official site describes Hippocratia as 'the single cultural festival honouring the island's heritage' and points to its event calendar for the daily programme of Summer Hippocratia. Dates change each year and are not given on the pages read, so check kos.gr/culture-and-events/upcoming or the travellers' info office (+30 22420 20107). The Asklepion is about 4 km from Kos Town by taxi or bike.

Best for

Culture night ashore while berthed in Kos

Season

Summer (dates vary each year)

Nearby