Recreation

During the interwar period, everyday life in the town was increasingly enriched by new opportunities in the areas of recreation and entertainment. Open air and indoor cinema auditoria proliferated, and performances were often given by the major theatre troupes run by such legendary Greek actresses as Kyveli Adrianou, Marika Kotopouli and the Kaloutas Sisters, in addition to smaller groups mainly consisting of refugees. On Sunday afternoons the townsfolk would promenade along the newly built King George II Avenue (now Dimokratias Avenue) and at Treis Kamares (the Three Arches, now Eleftherias Square). In summer, growing numbers of people would bathe at the nearby beaches, by the Koules Fortress, below the Ftyakis Mansion or at Trypiti (the "Holed Rock" then at the eastern extreme of the beach road). In the town centre and outlying areas there were dozens of coffee shops, patisseries, restaurants and tavernas catering for recreation and entertainment needs. With regard to fashion, unadulterated European style had won the day.

The presence of refugees enriched the music heard by the Heraklion public. Skilled solo or group musicians brought the Cretans into contact with the musical traditions of Smyrna and wider Asia Minor. But the most revolutionary influence on the music scene was brought by the radio, which the local population was soon buying in droves.