Coffee in Larissa is not just a drink but a way of life, and the municipality is organising a series of events on 24, 25, and 26 May to boost the city’s profile.
Unlike in Italy, where people drink their coffee standing and quickly leave, in Greece, it is considered completely normal to enjoy your coffee for several hours: sometimes chatting with friends, sometimes reading a newspaper or book, sometimes surfing the internet and sometimes just enjoying the sunshine.
In Larissa especially, almost 12 months a year, the pedestrian streets and squares are alive with life. The city has thousands of outside tables and many tons of coffee!
There are so many that experts consider it one of the best, if not the best, Greek coffee market. Statistically, it has the most cafes per capita of any other Greek city.
In addition, many know that hundreds of cafes in Greece and abroad trace their origins to the Thessalian capital, where well-known chains started their activity and spread with stores throughout the country and overseas, from London to Dubai: Mikel, Bruno, De TOX, and Franklin, among others.
The locals call Larissa “the coffee city”.
One of the city’s most famous citizens, Lakis Lazopoulos, appreciates the local’s habit of drinking coffee in the sun as a continuation of the city’s past when almost all houses had courtyards.
Coffee in Larissa is not just a drink but a way of life! It is the city’s intangible heritage, something more than a momentary pleasure, the condensation of its social life.
The municipality’s first action to strengthen the city’s profile is the Larissa Coffee Show, which will take place on May 24, 25, and 26.
Companies, brands and coffee and catering professionals will participate. For three days, the city’s central square will be the focus of its love for coffee and will be full of events and surprises for everyone!
The celebration program comprises masterclasses, main events, side events, and kids’ events.
A street competition of waiters, winning a Guinness prize in the preparation of dessert with coffee, musical concerts, and taste tests at the exhibitors’ stands predispose the start of a festival that aspires to develop into an organisation worthy of similar events held in Trieste, Amsterdam, and London.
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