Christmas in Athens Events 2008
Official Christmas in Athens Events
Public Christmas displays used to be hard to find in Athens. But a few years ago, then-Mayor and now Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis launched an ambitious program of Christmas celebrations for Athens, Greece. Now the new mayor and the City of Athens Cultural Organization in conjunction with Athina Municipal Radio 9.84 FM and the City of Athens Music Ensembles are continuing and expanding the tradition.
Christmas in Athens 2008
The Athens Christmas schedule for 2008 is at the City of Athens website. The popular Christmas Carousel is returning, and dozens of musical presentations are planned throughout the city. The National Gardens will be transformed into an enchanted Christmas village.Christmas in Athens - Schedule from 2006[/link] These events took place beginning December 16th.
The official schedule for Christmas and New Year's 2006 includes dozens of displays, concerts, and events.
The Town of Treats returns to Syntagma Square, and nearby there will be Santa's Workshop and Santa's Neighborhood. An antique carousel will keep both adults and children going in circles.
At the nearby Zappeion Gardens, instead of last year's ice rink, there will be a giant snow slide and other areas covered with real snow.
While these areas are largely aimed at children, the free concerts are a great incentive for adults to brave the crowds and enjoy some free music by well-known Greek groups and artists. These events will take place in the evenings at Kotzia Square
For the complete free arts schedule, you may want to check the official "Christmas in Athens" event lists at the Official Christmas in Athens website.
New Year's Eve will offer four firework launch spots. A city-hosted party at Technopolis in Gazi is expected to draw a young or youngish crowd. Final New Year's Eve details will be released later in December, but there will probably be free concerts at Syntagma Square, Kotzia Square on Athinas Street where the Athens City Hall is located, and Klathmonos Square.
While the festivities are supposedly aimed at Athenians, Greece has been working to attract more visitors during the "off" season, and a more Western-style Christmas festivity makes Greece in winter an even more attractive destination.
Christmas in Athens Photo Gallery
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