Chios Mastic Festival: The Resin That Only Grows on Chios

Welcome to the Chios Mastic Festival

The mastic tree, whose resin has been harvested since antiquity, grows nowhere else in the world except in the south of Chios. Between June and September, the island turns into a wide ranging celebration of this unique natural product; festivities begin in early summer and peak in August, when the harvest season is in full swing. The action unfolds in Chios Town, the elegant Kampos district and the medieval mastic villages (Mastihochoria) in the south of the island, most notably Pyrgi, Olympoi and Mesta.

Highlights

• Village feasts (panigyria) in the mastic villages with live music, dancing and traditional food
• A visit to the Chios Mastic Museum in Pyrgi covering the history and processing of the resin
• Tastings of mastic liqueur (Mastiha), sweets, chewing gum and cosmetics
• Gastronomy festivals showcasing local herbs and regional specialties
• Photography and art exhibitions in Chios Town and the villages
• The chance to join a guided mastic harvest

Program

The Mastic Festival is not a single event at one fixed location; it is a series of gatherings spread across the summer and early autumn. These include village feasts in Pyrgi and Olympoi, tasting evenings in Chios Town and the annual gastronomy festival, which puts the island's herbs and traditional recipes center stage. During the summer months, visitors can also join guided tours through the mastic groves and watch the traditional harvest, in which the resin is collected by hand from the trunk of each tree. The Chios Mastic Museum in Pyrgi is open year round and makes an excellent starting point for understanding the story of mastic.

Tickets

Most events in the Mastic Festival, including the village feasts and tastings, are free to attend. The Chios Mastic Museum and guided harvest tours have a separate entrance fee, which can be booked on site or through local operators.

Visitor Tips

• Renting a car makes it much easier to reach the scattered mastic villages in the south of the island.
• Pyrgi, with its black and white facade patterns (Xysta), deserves a leisurely stroll of its own beyond the festival events.
• Bring a light jacket for evening village feasts, as temperatures drop once the sun sets.
• Buy mastic products directly in the villages or at the museum shop, where prices are usually better than at the airport.
• Confirm the exact dates of individual village feasts with the Municipality of Chios or online before traveling, as they vary slightly from year to year.