Armata is a festival that endures for one week. It is held out in commemoration of the sea-battle of September 8th in 1822, when the fleet of Spetses and Hydra won a victory against the Turkish forces.
This great victory was the result of the heroic action of the Spetsiot Captain Kosmas Barbatsis, who managed to blow up the Turkish flagship by attaching his fire ship to it. The ”blowing up of the hostile flagship” is what the Armata festival is known for.
Every year the festival is watched by thousands of people. Those attending the festival can board one of the island’s boats and pretend to be part of the opposing fleets.
The habitants and the visitors of the island can also watch the «burning of the Turkish flagship» from the quayside.
The display is spectacular, as it is followed by hundreds of fireworks. With the burning of the ship, the Armata festival reaches its climax.
The event takes place every year on the Saturday nearest to September 8th. This year the event was held on Saturday, 11th of September and it was an unforgettable event.
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