I’ve realized in the past couple of years that the best parties are those you haven’t planned for – those you hear about out of the blue, on the same day, when you’re already out and about. Last year, my friends and I made a list of all the DJs we wanted to see live. We’d meet up right after work, unworried about tickets, since most played in public squares and parks, with free admission. We’d dance until the last track was over and usually ended up in a bar somewhere nearby.
This year has been equally promising, as stages with DJ decks set up in public squares, colorful spotlights illuminating faces and promenades, and music spilling out into the air to mingle with the sounds of the city, have been a big part of Athens’ vibe these past few weekends. Come May, the curtain went up in a series of events to transform public spaces into a celebration of music. From the lofty eminence of Lycabettus Hill to the cozy confines of Pangrati Woods, the City of Athens has organized dozens of open-air parties that form the most vibrant and well-attended part of its annual festival, running through the end of the month.
“When the festival began five years ago, the decision to plan party-like events had to do with our desire to shine a spotlight on the city’s dance culture, so nine out of the 10 events were put together from the beginning with groups of Greek DJs. The idea gained momentum, so every year we have new artists appearing, apart from the better-known ones,” Nikos Barlas, the municipal authority’s artistic director, who is also responsible for the festival, tells Kathimerini.
Global trend
Having 30 years of experience in organizing music events – especially dance and electronica – Barlas explains that the party culture associated with these genres has changed and has moved from indoor venues to outdoor spaces.
“Around the world, techno and house parties are intrinsically linked to industrial or abandoned buildings or public spaces. The prevalent notion a decade ago, that techno parties are for big clubs only, has all but become obsolete,” he says, adding that in places like Spain and southern France, DJs even play at Roman-era theaters.
“We were late to catch up, but we’ve been making up for lost ground in recent years,” he says.
Ioannis Pateliotis, a DJ and member of Street Outdoors, one of the groups responsible for shaping the open-air party culture in Athens and beyond – its first party was on a Thessaloniki rooftop in 2012 – agrees.
“Outdoor parties were and are a genuine escape. During the [economic] crisis, especially, they gave people a way to have fun without having to spend any money. This gradually passed into the public’s DNA. After the Covid pandemic, when electronic music and parties really flourished, the kind of events we were doing almost exclusively became a trend for others,” he says.
According to Pateliotis, another reason why these parties are so popular is that they give the audience an incredible sense of freedom. “Open-air events feel so much safer because they don’t obey the rules of nightclubs,” he says. “They are in open spaces, making many different people feel welcome. It is a much more ‘democratic’ form of entertainment in my book: No one judges you on what you’re wearing, why you’re there, how you got there and so on.”
The number of people who attended this year’s parties so far exceeded all expectations. An estimated 20,000 hiked up to the parking lot on Lycabettus Hill on the afternoon of May 10, for one of the highlights of the 2026 program. The “All-Star” party featured an explosive lineup, with DJ appearances including, among others, Frankie Lluc of Yucatan, a musical duo that started out in a small venue inside the Karageorgi Servias arcade in downtown Athens and now spends much of the year touring the world – with a stop always reserved for the Greek capital, where it is consistently on the festival’s roster.
“We go to parties like this all the time. It started during the lockdowns, but more so after. The vibe is so different from the smoky, claustrophobic atmosphere you get at clubs,” says 21-year-old Marianna Hatzipappa, who was among the 15,000 or so people who flocked to Zappeio on May 3 for a set by Liva K. “It’s so much easier to socialize in a setting like this; to talk to other groups of people, to meet new people, while still having fun with your own group,” she adds.
Aims and challenges
Looking at the congestion of traffic and people in Athens, it may be hard to imagine spaces that have enough room and accessibility to host such numbers. Barlas explains that the choice of venues was dictated by the city itself. “One of the festival’s other objectives is to help people get to know Athens better, to visit places they would never have associated with a party. We treat it as an opportunity to look at the city from a different angle. After all, we were the first to stage a party in Omonia Square in 2023, when no one else would have chosen it,” he adds.
Is it sustainable, though, for Athens to host loud, crowded events in public spaces? “We’ve had complaints on occasion, of course. Someone will be annoyed by the music – it’s only natural – but this is the exception, not the rule. We have parties on public squares on very few occasions,” says Barlas.
One of the greatest advantages of these parties seems to be the fact that they are wrapped up by 11 p.m. “They can’t go on any later, because loud music in public spaces is prohibited after midnight,” says Barlas, adding that the cutoff also seems to suit the habits of the younger generation.
University student Hatzippapa agrees: “I live and study in central Athens, so it’s really easy for me to attend. It’s also convenient with public transportation. The fact that these parties start at 4 p.m. is also great because you don’t need to worry about missing the last metro or delays with buses. These parties are a perfect fit for us,” she says.
Barlas has also noticed that younger Greeks like wrapping up the party earlier than was the case in the past. “That first year, it felt weird to turn down the music and thank the crowds for coming at 10.30 p.m. They’d also shout, ‘We want more!’ That’s changed. The music stops and the space empties quietly, without complaints,” he says.
The festival wraps up at the end of the month. This week has already included events at Korai Square, Agion Asomaton Square in Thiseio and the rooftop of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST). On Saturday, May 30, at 7 p.m., Athens Deejay radio station founder Michalis Tsaousopoulos will perform a set, also at Agion Asomaton Square; and the final event of the season will be a disco party on Athinas Street, starting at 5.30 p.m., on Sunday, May 31.
