Arts & Culture, Things to do

The Carnival Spirit Takes Over Athens!

Athens is gearing up for a vibrant Carnival celebration, and the Municipality of Athens invites everyone to join the fun! From February 15 to March 18, the city fills with music, dance, and traditional events for all ages. 

Let’s take a look at the highlights of the Athens Carnival

80 events across 55 locations: Get ready for a diverse program with concerts, music routes, children’s activities, traditional events, and more.

Something for everyone: Children can participate in workshops and educational programs, while adults can enjoy musical performances, theatrical shows, and carnival parades.

Credits: Municipality of Athens

Embrace tradition: Experience the rich cultural heritage of Greece through traditional carnival customs and local carnival processions.

Grand finale: Celebrate the end of the carnival with a grand procession in the city center featuring performers and entertainers.

Clean Monday celebration: Fly kites and enjoy a special “Koulouma” feast on Filopappos Hill on March 18.

Credits: Municipality of Athens

Here’s a detailed glimpse of what you can expect

  • Tsiknopepti with music and tradition: Enjoy live music, carnival festivities, and an ordinary performance representing the tradition of the “Ribbons of Naxos.”
  • Little masquerades take over: Children can participate in fun activities and learn about carnival customs at various cultural spaces and museums.
  • Carnival routes through the city: Witness vibrant parades showcasing traditional music, dances, and costumes from different regions of Greece.
  • Music and entertainment galore: Enjoy concerts, theatrical performances, and dance events throughout the carnival period.

Music and carnival tradition will fill Varvakeio Market, Monastiraki Square, and surrounding streets on Thursday, March 7. The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens will perform at Varvakeio Market at 11:30 am. The Cultural Society of Orchestral Art BAKHAI will start its carnival route from Syntagma Square at 12 pm, re-enacting the Cordellata of Naxos custom at Kotzia Square before ending at Monastiraki Square, where Charisma music band and Isidoros Pateros will entertain you with songs. 

Credits: Municipality of Athens

The events will take place at various cultural institutions such as The Art Gallery, the Museum of Folk Art and Tradition “Angeliki Hadjimichali,” and the Digital Museum of Platonos Academy, along with activities hosted at Libraries, Creative Learning Centres, and the Children’s Museum of Athens, offering museum-educational programs, workshops, and interactive sessions encompassing visual arts, construction, musical and kinetic arts, dramatization of fairy tales, and theater games. 

Carnival activities will also unfold across squares including Gyzi, Plyta, Agios Georgios, Agios Dimitrios (Panormos), and Kolokynthos Swimming Pool, as well as in Mayor Dimitris Bay Park, transforming spaces like Thyarakia, Agios Pavlos, Nathaniel, and the pedestrian street at the junction of Gennaios Kolokotronis and Matrozou streets into vibrant party settings. The premier Carnival celebration, a traditional rendezvous for young carnivalists, will be held at Zappeion on Sunday, March 17, featuring music, dancing, circus performers, games, and surprises as children bid farewell to Carnival festivities. 

For more details about the program, visit the website of the Municipality of Athens

Sources:
https://www.tornosnews.gr/foreis/periferies/66479-dhmos-athhnaion-%7C-apokries-sthn-athhna-me-80-ekdhloseis-se-55-shmeia.html

https://www.cityofathens.gr/apokries-stin-athina-mia-megali-karnav/

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