Kastellorizo Puzzle Festival returns and …travels

With the wish that science should be at the center of a well-governed society, the Kastellorizo Puzzle Festival returns in 22-25 September 2022 on the island, but also takes one more step forward: the festival will travel off  the island.

The 1st Puzzle Festival took place in Kastellorizo last September and had some unexpected success. It was an event of national importance, a voluntary initiative, an organization of high scientific level and above all, a great celebration of science which offered new knowledge to the public of the island, of all ages and cognitive levels.

This year, more than sixty researchers, academics, educators and artists will participate on a non-profit basis, offering their valuable knowledge and experience in matters of science and technology, through original experiential actions, attractive applications, impressive mechanisms and scientific events.

The main objective of the Festival is for scientific knowledge to reach everyone - young and senior citizens- in a simple, accessible, interactive and enjoyable way. Through a multitude of activities, the Festival aspires to contribute to the understanding of complex concepts/ideas, the critical ability to deal with unclear arguments and the creative thinking of making new inventions.

Kastellorizo has impressive architecture, important ancient monuments, beautiful nature and landscape. An island where, from the Neolithic Age until today, important civilizations of humanity has established. The official name of the island is Megisti, apparently due to its larger size compared to the island complex that surrounds it. Last year’s festival was an event of national importance, a voluntary initiative, an event on a high scientific level and above all a great celebration of science and offering new knowledge to the public of the island, of all ages and levels of knowledge.

There will be no academic-style talks, but simple discussions, scientific activities in the form of play or drama, impressive experiments, STEM, tours, treasure hunts, Stand up Science for children, exhibitions, film/music workshops and above all, countless puzzles that will need to be solved.

In addition, the well-known Humanitarian Organisation ‘Kids Save Lives‘ will give first aid/rescue courses and install an external defibrillator (courtesy of the VIORYL company).

Just some of the many Festival’s interesting activities are:

• The mathematician and Founder of the Museum of Puzzles, Pantazis Choulis, will highlight the significance of the puzzles, the history of the island and its beauties by walking along the paths of the island that he carved.
• Michalis Toulouse, multi-award winning puzzle maker, will present samples of his award-winning puzzles.
• Internationally acclaimed American puzzle collector and designer Bob Hearn will participate in the festival.
• The professor of the University of Crete, Michalis Lambrou, will approach mathematics through entertaining stories and mathematical tricks.
• There will be a live connection with CERN and the guide Dr. Theodoros Geralis, Director of Research Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of EKFE Demokritos who participates as a ‘D’ researcher in the ATLAS experiment of the LHC.
• Kosmas Gazeas, astrophysicist (NKUA), will invite the public to touch the planets and mentally wander the solar system through his interactive exhibition Planets In Your Hand.
• Impressive star/sun observations: through telescopes and lasers we will get to know the starry sky and our solar system (Collaboration of NKUA and Athens Observatory).
• Researchers from the Pasteur Institute, the Research and Technology Foundation, the Athens/IEL Research Centre, the University of the Aegean, the Union of Greek Physicists, etc., will arouse interest by ‘playing’ with the curiosity of the public in matters of their scientific area.

It is worth mentioning that this year the Puzzle Festival will also ‘travel’ outside the island with a first stop in Patras (Old Slaughterhouse Area 21-23/1/-2022) and then in Athens (Tobacco Factory 16-18/12/2022, in collaboration with the Library of the Parliament. Both of these events will focus on Puzzles.

View the programme of activities and their venues of the 2nd Kastellorizo Puzzle Festival here.

The organisation of the festival is being carried out by the Union of Ideas, Puzzles, Mathematics - EN.I.GMA, where the most important element of its activity is the Museum of Puzzles of Megisti, in collaboration with the Region of the Aegean Sea and the Municipality of Megisti. The festival is financially supported by the Ministry of Development (General Secretariat for Research & Innovation) and the Ministry of National Defence, and is under the auspices of the Ministries of Development, National Defence, Culture & Sports, Maritime & Island Policy. The National Documentation Centre (EKT) is a supporter of the Festival.