Open-air screenings and drive-in cinema at the most beautiful spots in the city, concerts, musical performances, and shows in squares, streets, museums, theaters, and cultural centers of the Municipality, along with ten unique parties for the longest night of the year, spread the pulse of Christmas.
Three Days of Atmospheric Outdoor Screenings
On Saturday, December 28th, Wes Anderson’s beloved “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014) offers us an exciting drive-in experience, in collaboration with En Lefko 87.7, at the parking lot of the Municipal Theatre of Lycabettus with a breathtaking view of festive Athens.
On Sunday, December 29th, in the outdoor area of Athens Book Space at Freedom Park, the heartwarming Norwegian film “Christmas on Cobbler Street” (2023), suitable for children aged 10 and up, will be screened in collaboration with the Athens International Children’s and Youth Film Festival and with the support of the Norwegian Embassy.
The festive film weekend concludes on Monday, December 30th, at Mitropoleos Square, with the classic Christmas romantic comedy “Love Actually” (2003), in collaboration with the Greek streaming platform Cinobo.
The screenings are free of charge, and the reservation process for the drive-in at Lycabettus will soon be announced on the channels of Culture Is Athens and En Lefko 87.7.
Drive-In Cinema at the Lycabettus Parking Lot
Drive-In Cinema at the Lycabettus Parking Lot
The city celebrates the longest night of the year on December 21st
On Saturday, December 21st, Athens transforms into a vibrant stage of art and music to mark the longest night of the year and the This is Athens – City Festival of the City of Athens.
On Protogenous Street, from 5:00 PM to midnight, there will be an outdoor stage dedicated to the contemporary Greek alternative scene with DJ sets and happenings, while in Agios Andreas Square in Lambrini, representatives of the Greek electronic scene from ENTEKA Athens will perform.
The Maria Callas Museum is nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2025
In Gyzi Square, George Apergis and the Reverb Sessions prepare a live party with electronic sounds, while on Fokionos Negri, the radio station Melodia 99.2 invites us to an artistic music night with its new live band and music selections from the station’s favorite producers.
In Agios Panteleimon Square, the musical ensemble De Profundis presents works by top classical music composers, while on Charitos Street in Kolonaki, Athens Voice revives its legendary street party.
At Syntagma Metro Station, Chores impress with their polyphonic performance, while in Drakatsaniou Arcade, En Lefko 87.7 offers a unique DJ set featuring top DJs (Laternative, Eva Theotokatou, and Giorgos Bakalakos).
The night continues with a piano recital on Ermou Street and culminates at the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre “Maria Callas,” where Kosmos 93.6 presents Giorgis Christodoulou and a midnight party.
Music Everywhere: Athens is filled with melodies
Syntagma Square is the focal point of this year’s Christmas events by the City of Athens.
Concerts at Syntagma
From December 12th to 22nd, the square will be filled with sounds from Easy 97.2 radio station. The festive live shows on stage begin on Tuesday, December 24th, with Doros Demosthenous and his band. On Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th, artists will perform back-to-back to entertain the audience: In the morning, the Athens Mandolin Quartet Nikolaos Lavdas, at noon, MO Trio with electronic jazz, and in the afternoon, the groundbreaking singer and performer Panos Mouzourakis with his band in an exhilarating music show.
On the morning of Thursday, December 26th, the day is dedicated to children with a musical performance by the Zamomines, followed by the jazz band To Pragma, and then Idra Kayne with soul and funk melodies and the Mikro in their highly anticipated and explosive comeback on stage.
The highlight of the musical live shows at Syntagma is on New Year’s Eve when we’ll welcome the new year with the musical and theatrical “time machine” of Foivos Delivorias and his “Terrace of Time,” featuring Natassa Bofiliou, Thanasis Aleuras, Martha Fritzila, a large orchestra, dancers, and new voices who will present a live musical and theatrical time machine that spans Athens’ entire history from 1945 to 2025 through songs, dances, projections, and humorous theatrical moments.
Distinctive musical experiences in the city are offered by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Athens, performing from December 13th until early 2025 at various city locations with Christmas melodies, and the van of Athens 9.84 radio station, which will be parked from Syntagma and Ermou to Agios Panteleimon and Kypseli until December 21st.
Starting Sunday, December 15th, there will be more music at the Maria Callas Museum, the “Melina” Cultural Center of the City of Athens, the Municipal Market of Kypseli, the Museum of Folklore and Tradition “Angeliki Hatzimichali,” Athens Book Space at Freedom Park, and the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre “Maria Callas” with Johann Strauss II’s famous Viennese operetta “Die Fledermaus” (from December 19th to January 4th), two “Rosarte of Musicals” concerts, and the Athens Big Band, which meets two great international artists, Veronica Mortensen and Niels HP, for a dazzling evening with Christmas hues (December 30th).
