Athens Events and Public Holidays
If visiting Athens it helps to know when major events and public holidays take place, as some shops and attractions may be closed, but to be there at times like Easter can make for a magical trip.
Greek Easter Eggs Are Red!EVENTS
February/March
Carnival is not as big in Greece as it is in, say, Venice or the Caribbean, but they do still celebrate it. You'll find music in the streets of Athens, especially around the Plaka district, with children in costume and people hitting each other on the head with plastic hammers. This can seem very odd at first, till you discover it's a tradition.
The Greek name for it is apokries, which means 'without meat', just as the word carnival comes from the Latin, carnem levare, which also means going without meat. That's why food also plays a big part in the carnival celebrations, along with music, dancing and street parties.
The big day is the Sunday immediately before the start of Lent, and this falls seven weeks before Easter Sunday (see below for Easter information).
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
March
Independence Day
March 25 sees the first really big event of the year, celebrating the start of the revolt against the years of Turkish rule in Greece. There are lots of parades and festivities, especially outside the Greek Parliament building on Syntagma Square. It's also a public holiday, and for a full list of public holidays see below.
Independence Day in Athens
April
Easter
Easter is the biggest religious celebration in Greece and a time when it's a joy to be there, whether you're religious or not. There are religious processions through the streets, which are shown live on TV, and Athens is one of the biggest Easters in the country. There are fireworks at night, flares, even dynamite might get thrown as the Greeks go crazy at Easter.
Greek Easter usually falls in April, though not always, and it doesn't usually coincide with the dates of the western European Easter, so if you want to visit Athens at Easter check the dates carefully first. You can find the dates for the next few years here. Also see our separate Easter in Athens page.
Easter in Athens
May
Labour Day
May 1 is a public holiday and there are workers' parades through the streets. In Greece it's called Ergatikí Protomagiá, which means The Workers' First of May.
May/June
Whit Monday
Fifty days after Easter Sunday the Greeks are celebrating again with a national holiday and more street parades and parties, both public and private. The Greek name for it is Deftéra Pentikostís (Pentecost Monday).
Summer
The Athens and Epidaurus Festival
Beginning in late May and running through till early October (though dates vary slightly so check www.greekfestival.gr for up-to-date information) is this big annual arts festival. As well as the best in Greek classical arts, recent visitors have included the Bolshoi Ballet, the English National Ballet and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Many events take place in the ancient Odeon (Theatre) of Herodes Atticus and some in the wonderful setting of the theatre at Epidaurus. A special box office is usually opened for the duration of the festival at Stadiou 4 (tel: 210 928 2900).
Odeon of Herodes AtticusThe Lycabettus Festival
This is part of the Athens Festival umbrella, but events in the outdoor theatre on Lycabettus Hill are more modern. Franz Ferdinand is one of the many bands who have played, and there are contemporary theatre and dance performances too, but also a few traditional Greek musical and performance offerings (www.greekfestival.gr).
June
Music Day
June 21-23 is when Athens joins in a Europe-wide celebration of music with hundreds of groups and solo artists playing at venues throughout the city. There's jazz, rock, traditional Greek music - everything from children's choirs to the Scissor Sisters! www.musicday.gr
Rockwave
Moby, Twisted Sister, Calexico, Eric Burdon, Robert Plant, The Cure, Blur and Black Sabbath have all been among the headliners at this annual rock music festival that takes place at the Terra Vibe centre, out of the city centre on the Lamia road. Expect acrobats, bungee jumping and other fun stuff too (tel: 210 882 0426; rockwavefestival.gr).
The Arctic Monkeys Perform at the 2018 Rockwave Festival in Athens
October
Ochi Day
October 28 is the last public holiday before Christmas, and another day when you'll find an amazing atmosphere in the Greek capital. October's usually a good time to visit as the intense heat of the summer will be over but it should still be pleasantly warm, though you might get a bit of rain.
Ochi (or Ohi or Oxi) Day commemorates the day in 1940 when the Italian leader Mussolini demanded that the Greeks allow German and Italian troops to enter their territory, and the Greek leader Metaxas said emphatically Ochi! No! In fact his reply was a little longer but a simple 'no' makes it more dramatic and memorable. You'll come across military and other parades, and a lot of proud and patriotic Greeks.
The Story of Ochi Day
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Shops and some public services might close down for public holidays, but restaurants, museums and public transport generally keep operating. There are no hard rules in Athens, though. People do what they feel like doing on the day.
January 1 New Year's Day
January 6 Epiphany
March 25 Independence Day
First Monday in Lent (Shrove Monday)
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May 1 Labour Day
Whit Monday
August 15 The Feast of the Assumption
October 28 Ochi Day
December 25 and 26 Christmas
Don't miss this visual tour of Athens with photos by Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets.
Other Athens pages
The Best Hotels in Athens
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
Athens Airport Hotels
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
A Drive around Attica
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Athens: Travel Information and Advice about Athens, Greece
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
Greek Architecture
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
Athens to Santorini
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
Cape Sounion and the East Coast
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
Where to Eat in Athens and Piraeus
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
The Pnyx
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
Ten Best Museums in Athens
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum.
Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square or Constitution Square is the main square in Athens and has a metro station, the Greek Parliament building, hotels, cafes, and a post office.
Piraeus
Piraeus is the port of Athens from where many ferries to the Greek islands depart, and it also has an Archaeological Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
Pictures of Athens
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
My Athens: a Portrait by Travel Writer Mike Gerrard
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
Mount Lykabettos
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
Monastiraki Flea Market
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
Monastiraki and Around
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
A History of Athens
A History of Athens from the first people to live on the Acropolis through the Golden Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great to the military junta.
Entertainment in Athens
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
Easter in Athens
Easter in Athens is, like everywhere in Greece, the biggest religious celebration of the year and this page tells you what to expect over the Easter weekend.
Changing of the Guard in Athens
The Changing of the Guard in Athens takes place outside the Parliament building at the top of Syntagma Square and is a must-see for visitors.
Best Views in Athens
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
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