The story
Xylofagou Potato Festival in Xylofagou
Xylofagou, famed for potatoes grown in its distinctive red soil, hosts a Big International Potato Festival featuring tastings, a varieties exhibition, farm machinery displays and cooking demonstrations, closing each edition with a concert by well-known Greek singers. A 4.9-metre fibreglass potato statue erected in 2021 marks the village square, and Xylofagou has attempted a Guinness World Record for the largest single fried-chip portion.
A fibreglass potato statue standing 4.9 metres tall, designed by George Tasou and erected in the village square in October 2021, gives Xylofagou a permanent, oversized landmark commemorating the crop its deep red soil has made famous across Europe, and the village leveraged that reputation into its first Big International Potato Festival in 2023, expanding what had been a more local celebration into an event with international billing.