Halki is one of the most beautiful neo-classical settlements of the Dodecanese. It is build amphitheatrically round the port with two or three-storeyed buildings with roofs of slate, creating a majestic scenery. The houses are built of stone and the windows are painted in vivid yellow and blue colours. The people of Halki are plain, nice cheerful and kind qualities displayed in their traditional feasts. The local dances are cheerful and cute, the best known being the "sousta" of the Dodecanese and the "gaitanaki", danced to the sounds of the lure and the mandoline. Like most of the Dodecanese islands, Halki comes alive in the summer, after a calm winter. The island's Cultural Society organizes performances and dance nights, as well as the preparation for the local feasts, the feast of Virgin Mary on August 15th and the feast at the Monastery of Agios Ioannis Alargas on August 29th.