Oia hosts Santorini Experience trail races on 18 October
Published on 09/27/2026 at 08:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Oia and the Santorini Experience 2026 will meet in Santorini, Greece, when the island’s three-day sports event runs from 16 to 18 October 2026. The Sunday programme starts and finishes in Oia, bringing 5 km, 10 km and 15 km trail races to the village and its caldera landscape.
The event is also associated with the Greek name ???, but its public programme uses Oia. The races give the village a defined role within a wider weekend that combines trail running, open-water swimming and several locations across Santorini.
Santorini Experience brings its trail races to Oia
Santorini Experience 2026 is scheduled for Friday 16 October to Sunday 18 October. The event’s official website describes it as a sports tourism programme co-organised by the Municipality of Thera and ActiveMedia Group, with running and swimming races using Oia, Imerovigli, Fira and the volcano as settings.
On Sunday 18 October, all three Oia trail races start and finish at the desalination plant. The programme includes the 15 km Trail Run powered by The North Face, the 10 km Trail Run powered by SIXT and the 5 km Aristides Alafouzos race powered by Miele. The municipality’s announcement also confirms Oia as the start and finish point for the Sunday running programme. official event programme
The wider schedule begins on Friday 16 October with the Ancient Thera Run 5K in Kamari. On Saturday 17 October, participants are due to swim 2.4 km from the volcano to the Old Port of Fira. The event therefore links Oia’s trail routes with Santorini’s volcanic terrain and maritime setting across separate days.
Oia’s caldera paths shape the Sunday races
The Sunday routes use terrain around the caldera edge, with traditional cobbled paths, volcanic rock, narrow passages and changes in elevation. The 15 km course passes through Imerovigli and Firostefani before returning to Oia, while the shorter races provide separate distances within the same event setting.
This makes the desalination plant more than a registration point: it is the fixed start and finish for a programme that moves through settlements and exposed volcanic paths before returning to Oia. The route description places the village at both ends of the Sunday races, while the caldera connects the course to the landscape for which Santorini is known. municipal announcement for 2026
The organisers present the event for professional and amateur athletes. The official page places Oia alongside Imerovigli, Fira and the volcano, so the village is part of the event’s named route and venue geography rather than a nearby viewing location.
Three distances give Oia a full race day
The 15 km, 10 km and 5 km races are scheduled for the same Sunday, 18 October 2026. Their shared start and finish at the desalination plant means that the Oia programme is concentrated at one named location, although the routes extend towards the caldera settlements.
The 5 km race is described as suitable for running or brisk walking, while the longer routes are presented as trail challenges. The published route information identifies volcanic rock, cobbled paths and terrain changes, details that matter more here than a conventional road-race profile. route details and event dates
Visiting Oia: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Santorini Experience runs from 16 to 18 October 2026. The Oia trail races take place on Sunday 18 October 2026, starting and finishing at the desalination plant.
- The event changes the practical character of Oia on 18 October 2026 because the village is a race start and finish, not only a route backdrop. The published programme does not state a general closure for visitors.
- The Sunday courses use caldera-edge paths through volcanic rock and traditional cobbled sections, with narrow passages and elevation changes. Visitors should expect uneven terrain around the race setting.
- The wider event is spread across Santorini: Kamari hosts the Ancient Thera Run 5K on 16 October 2026, while the 2.4 km swim runs from the volcano to Fira on 17 October 2026.
Searching for Oia on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Oia
When does Santorini Experience take place at Oia?
The Oia trail races take place on Sunday 18 October 2026, within Santorini Experience, which runs from 16 to 18 October 2026.
What races take place at Oia?
The programme lists 5 km, 10 km and 15 km trail races, all starting and finishing at the desalination plant in Oia on 18 October 2026.
Where is Oia and how does the event use it?
Oia is a village on Santorini in Greece. During the event, it serves as the start and finish for the Sunday trail routes, which extend through the caldera landscape and nearby settlements.
