Athens’ Best Cocktail and Wine Festivals in March 2024

March in Athens is a celebration of Greece’s wine and bar culture. And we’ve rounded up the best places for you to taste the finest drops! 

Explore cozy wine bars, indulge in tastings led by international experts, and join lively festivals showcasing Greece’s rich viticultural heritage. From intimate gatherings to grand events, immerse yourself in zesty delights awaiting in the heart of the city.

BKHS 4.0 Wine Festival in Romatzo
Insights Greece - Athens' Best Cocktail and Wine Festivals in March 2024

The return of Bacchae, Athens’ most alternative wine festival, is an unmissable event! Modern Greek artisanal winemakers loyal to organic/ biodynamic farming, and inspired by their love of hands-off vinification, are ready to welcome visitors to the celebration of Bacchae. Producers from all over Greece meet for two full days of winemaking and works of art! The Wine Fair will be accompanied by a series of talented musicians performing live on stage at Romantso- lifting the mood and energy to help remind guests of ancient Greek Dionysian feasts, which were full of wine, music, and fun!

Entry: €20-30

Date: 1-3 March, 2024

Address: Anaxagoras 3 – 5, Bios Romantso – Athens, Attiki

Tickets: more.com

Website: Bacchae.gr

Whiskey Live Athens
Insights Greece - Athens' Best Cocktail and Wine Festivals in March 2024

Whiskey is not a “quick drink”. It’s a pleasure. And now more than 300 rare and special whiskeys from Scotland, Ireland, and America, as well as some “secret gems” from all over the world, will be offered at an exciting whiskey-tasting event in Athens, that’s designed to please all those who love the golden “king” of spirits. At Whiskey Live you will find unique ranges from small producers to limited edition bottles from well-known giant companies. And if you prefer clear spirits, head over to the Gin Garden where you’ll discover special gin labels offered for tasting. Whiskey Live, currently held in more than 30 cities worldwide, started in Paris and London in 2000 and is considered the world’s largest and longest-running whiskey event. Of course, there will also be a liquor shop where you can purchase the labels, as well as premium bottling at special prices, plus a cocktail section, where excellent mixologists will prepare well-known and beloved cocktails, and a street food corner with delicious delicacies to accompany your drink of choice.

Entry: Day ticket: €30, Daily combo (cocktail + food): €40, Two-day ticket: €50

Date & Time: 2-3 March 2024, 1 pm

Address: Technopolis, 100 Pireos, Gazi

Website: Athens-technopolis.gr

Oenorama: Largest Exhibition of Greek Wines
Insights Greece - Athens' Best Cocktail and Wine Festivals in March 2024

For all those who cherish wine, Oenorama is one of those can’t-miss experiences! Since 1994, this popular event has thrived, marking its 30th year as Greece’s premier wine exhibition. With 250+ exhibitors showcasing over 2,500 wines and spirits, it draws 10,000+ Greek and international visitors each year. The exhibition includes the Tasting Square where new releases can be sampled in optimal conditions, the Wine Bar of Wine Revelations where special wines are showcased, the Wine Revelations where future industry stars are spotlighted, and the Winemaking section where state-of-the-art wine equipment is displayed.

Entry: €12-40

Date: 2-4 March, 2024

Address: Zappeio Megaro, Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, Athens

W: hoenorama.com

Spoiled Bar- Show
Insights Greece - Athens' Best Cocktail and Wine Festivals in March 2024

Spoiled Bar, one of Athens’ best cocktail bars presents a cool event where bartenders from all over Greece are invited to participate in a fun and creative challenge. The theme is “The tour of Greece in 7 glasses” – aiming to highlight the unique raw ingredients of the country, which we either don’t know or have not been given the attention they deserve. It will highlight 7 unique trips, 7 destinations, 7 bartenders from all over Greece, and many more from well-known bars in Athens. So for all you cocktail lovers, on March 14, head over to one of the capital’s most popular bar shows that’s been created by well-known local bartenders Thanos Sideris and Panos Kallimanis.

Entry: Free

Date: 14 March, 2024

Address: 18 Megalou Alexandrou, Dafni

W: spoiledbar.gr

What’s On In Athens: November 13

From opera and baroque to ballet and string quartets- there are so many fabulous performances to catch this week in Athens, and we’ve rounded up a selection of the best ones that are not to be missed. 

Les Éclairs – Philippe Hersant
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

The contemporary opera “Les Éclairs is the Greek National Opera’s second co-production with the Opéra Comique (Paris), one of Europe’s most important opera houses. At this national premiere, and for three performances only –inside the Stavros Niarchos Hall at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center– Greek audiences will get the chance to discover the third opera to be written by the multi-award winning French composer Philippe Hersant, with a libretto by the internationally acclaimed French author Jean Echenoz. The opera is a musical journey through New York during the Industrial Revolution that traces the turbulent life of the ethnic Serb cosmopolitan dandy and “mad” scientist Nikola Tesla.

Entry: Ticket prices €10- €60

Date & Time: 16,19,21 November, 7.30 pm (Sunday 6.30 pm)

Αddress: Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Syggrou Avenue 364,  Kallithea

Website: nationalopera.gr

Tickets ticketservices.gr

Quatuor Ébène
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

With their fresh approach to tradition and open engagement with new forms, the renowned French string quartet Quatuor Ébène has successfully reached a wide audience of young listeners and conveyed their talent in regular master classes at the Paris Conservatoire. Their global tour is now coming to Athens where guests can enjoy jazz improvisation, Bartók, and Haydn. The foursome is a hit with both young and old audiences because of the energy in their performances and the spirit of tradition renewal that sets them apart.

Entry: €12 – €30

Date & Time: 16 November 2023, 8.30 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens

Tickets: webtics.megaron.gr

Χ: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

Anthony Davis’ ground-breaking opera “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” will be presented at the Met and broadcast as part of the MET HD LIVE program, live at the Concert Hall Athens. The new staging of Davis’ play, which premiered in 1986, is directed by the famous Tony nominee director Robert O’Hara. In this production, Malcolm ‒ one of the most important figures of the African-American civil rights movement, is presented as an everyday man whose story transcends space and time. In the lead role is baritone Will Liverman.

Entry: €8-€25

Date & Time: 18 November 2023, 7:55 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens

Buy Tickets: webtics.megaron.gr

6th Baroque Music Festival
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

The Baroque Music Festival returns to the GNO Alternative Stage and the historical hall of the Parnassos Literary Society – and is set to take audiences on a journey through the enchanting world of Baroque music. This year’s festival, curated by the prolific cellist Dimos Goudaroulis, includes four singular concerts revolving around the year 1723. It will feature concerts by distinguished artists (Lucile Boulanger, Dimos Gourdaroulis) who will enrich the colourful palette of baroque music with sonatas for violin, cello, basso, and gamba choosing sonatas by famous composers such as Tartini, Bach, and Caporale.

Entry: Ticket prices: €10-€15

Date & Time: 13,15,18, November, 8.30 at Parnassos Philological Association & 19 November, 7.30 pm at Alternative Stage of the National Opera – SNFCC

Address: Parnassos Philological Association (8 Agios Georgios Karytsis Square, Athens) & Alternative Stage of the National Opera – SNFCC, Syggrou Avenue 364, Kallithea

Website: megaron.gr

Tickets: ticketservices.gr

Molly Nillson Concert
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

Swedish singer and producer, Molly Nillson is known for her magical melodies and touchingly clever lyrics that bring nostalgic pop, on a journey through life and death, with love and trouble. And now her stately approach to synth pop is coming to Athens where audiences can enjoy her swooping synth melodies and the grace of her vocals. 

Entry: €20

Date & Time: 18 November, 9 pm

Address: 16 Ogigou, Psirri, 10654 Athens

Tickets: tickets.public.gr

Colors
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 13

The Greek National Opera Ballet presents the modern dance triptych titled Colors – choreographed by Diego Tortelli, Eva Georgitsopoulou and Konstantinos Rigos. The performance follows the successful presentation of the triptychs Human Behaviour and Human Nature on the GNO Alternative Stage and brings the ensemble’s dancers face to face with modern dance forms, mixed with the musical sensualism of late Romanticism.

Entry: €15- €20

Date 12,16,17,18 November 2023

Tickets: ticketservice.gr

Αddress: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Syggrou Avenue 364, Kallithea

Website: nationalopera.gr

What’s On In Athens: November 6

November keeps getting better and better thanks to some amazing cultural events taking place around Athens.

From the cool Athens’ Bar Week to the popular Authentic Marathon- there’s such a great variety- and we’ve rounded up some of our favourites right here for you.

Αthens’ Bar Week 2023
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 6

Some of the world’s best bars are taking over the city of Athens this week- with unique parties, events, and fine entertainment experiences for everyone over 18. It’s thanks to The Athens Bar Show, an annual educational expo for bar and hospitality professionals, which will take place on November 7 and 8 at the Technopolis of Athens. And from Monday, November 6th to Thursday, November 9th, the world’s best bars are teaming up with the Athenian bar scene to transform the city into a cocktail lovers’ paradise! Bar take-overs, pop-up bars, fine-dining tours, and masterclasses, are some events that will be held as part of Athens Bar Week. Taking place all over the city, this includes The Great Tuesday Club takeover at Avra FS Athens, which promises 16 cocktails that will travel you to 6 cities!

Date: 6 – 9 November, 2023

Address: All over Athens  

Website: athensbarweek.gr

Julia Kent & Tilemachos Moussas 
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 6

Canadian cellist and composer Julia Kent and composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Telemachos Mousas join forces for a one-off performance at the Athens Conservatory. Kent, a member of Anthony & the Johnsons, creates magical sounds using live looping and real-time sound processing on cello and electronics. Her compositions have also graced films, television, dance and theater performances, and has released six personal albums. At this unforgettable music night, she will be accompanied by Telemachos Mousas, known for his award-winning compositions that are a combination of speech, poetry, classical music, jazz, and electro-acoustic techniques.

Entry: €22

Date & Time: 11 November, 9 pm

Tickets ticketservices.gr

Address: Ioannis Despotopoulos Amphitheater, Athens Conservatory, Rigillis & Vasileos Georgiou II 17-19, Αthens

Spyros Louis Cup Tour
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 6

Α truly unique opportunity to admire and learn the story about one of the most important items in the history of world sport. Designed by Michel Bréal for the champion of the first Marathon race – the Greek runner Spyros Louis – the Silver Cup was awarded at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Give yourself the chance to learn more about the first Marathon race and the Cup’s historical significance in a free tour offered by the SNFCC (with tours offered in English).

Entry: Free by online preregistration

Date & Time: 8-11 November | one-hour tours at 10 am, 11 am, 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm

Αddress: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Syggrou Avenue 364, 17674 Kallithea

Website: SNFCC.org

Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen 
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 6

The amazing performance tribute to the great Leonard Cohen is finally coming to Athens! Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen is an exclusive creation inspired by the rich and profound work of Montréal-based poet, artist and songwriter, Leonard Cohen. Approved by Cohen while still alive, this amazing homage to the famed artist evokes the grand cycles of existence, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems. Three internationally renowned choreographers were entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreographic world reflective of Cohen’s singular work is brought to life by Ballets Jazz Montréal’s 14 artists and the strong, bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean. 

Entry: Ticket prices: €18 – €100

Date & Time: 11-12 November, 8 pm

Tickets: webtics.megaron.gr

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens

Website: megaron.gr

Athens Authentic Marathon

Insights Greece - What's On In Athens: November 6

Athens hosts its 40th Classic Marathon this weekend. A popular event recognised as the world’s original modern marathon, it attracts thousands of participants and spectators from around the globe. According to the organisers, the Athens Marathon allows runners the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Greek soldier Pheidippides who first ran the 42 km route from the battlefield of Marathon Beach to Athens in 490 BC. Tip: for the non-runners, you may still enjoy this popular event by going to the Panathenaic Stadium and catching the atmosphere. Pro tip: bring something soft to sit on.

Entry: €35-€120

Date: 11-12 November 2023

Website: Athensauthenticmarathon.gr

Main Image Courtesy of Avra Bar 

What’s On in Athens: October 31

We are officially in the heart of autumn and the first week of November is bringing with it some exciting events taking place throughout different venues – including musical stages, galleries and theatres all across Athens- and we’ve rounded up the ones you don’t want to miss. 

Modern Love Exhibition 
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

How does flirting in the age of social media and online dating apps work? Can love blossom in the “mind” of a robot or the wreckage of a lost life? Are intimacy and tenderness measurable quantities? The exhibition of the National Museum of Contemporary Art entitled “Modern Love: The Love in the Years of Cold Intimacy” raises all these questions and more. This popular project is the result of a fruitful collaboration between 24 artists and the artistic director of the museum, Katerina Gregou.

Entry: €8

Date & Time: 1-5 November, Tuesday-Sunday 11 am-7 pm

Address: Kallirois Ave. & Amvr. Frantzi Street, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens

T: +30 211 101 9000

“Witches of Salem”
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

Arthur Miller’s fascinating theatrical allegory will be broadcast at Athens Concert Hall, straight from the Olivier Stage of London’s National Theater. Lindsey Turner directs the new, contemporary production of the great American author’s masterpiece, with Erin Doherty and Brendan Cowell in the leading roles. Miller’s play “The Salem Witches” is based on true events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, which resulted in the hanging of twenty innocent people.

Entry: Ticket prices: €8 – €15

Date & Time: 2 November, 8 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens,

Website: megaron.gr

Some Shreds: Happening at the Edge
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

Νo need to head to the far East to discover the next generation of Hong Kong artistic talents, as the Phoenix Athens Gallery is presenting them in its latest exhibition, right in the heart of Athens. “Some Shreds: Happening at the Edge” is a cool group exhibition showcasing artworks of several artistic media including visual art, video installations, choreography, and live music performances. 

Entry: Free

Date & Time: 1-3 November, Monday-Friday 7-11 pm, weekends by appointment

Address: Phoenix Athens, 87 Asklipiou, Exarchia 114 72

Website: phoenixathens.org

Μorfes” Exhibition at Sotiropoulos Art Gallery
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

Sotiropoulos Art Gallery opens the autumn artistic season with the group exhibition of paintings entitled “Morfes” (forms). Curated by Fotis Sotiropoulos (gallery manager), it’s part of the gallery’s new initiative “NEW EYES | Contemporary, young creators”, which aims to promote a range of new artists. The focus of this exhibition is the human form through the conversation of five contemporary visual artists. Realism, expressionist writing and the abstract mood coexist fruitfully in this project, allowing the audience to appreciate the varied approaches each artist has taken to representing the human form.

Entry: Free

Date & Time: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12 am-8 pm | Wednesday, Saturday 12 am- 4 pm

Address: Mavromixali 3, Athens 

Website: Sotiropoulos.gr

Athens English Comedy Club
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

The Athens English Comedy Club is back and better than ever! Founded in 2019, this club is the only place in Athens where performances are all in English. Whether you’re a seasoned comedian or just looking for a good laugh, you can join if you are looking for a night of live comedy- just make sure to bring your best punch line!

Entry: €10- €17

Date & Time: 1-5 November, 8:40 pm

Address: Eliart Theater, 127 Konstantinopoleos, Gazi

Website: more.com

Samara Joy & Trio
Insights Greece - What's On in Athens: October 31

Samara Joy’s career took off when she won the Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Singing Competition in 2019. Since then, the international press has idolized the American diva for her rich voice and velvet vocal timbre. Being named a worthy successor to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, Samara was also awarded two Grammys in 2023, in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album. This is a concert you don’t want to miss if you love jazz music! 

Entry: €14- €35

Date & Time: 5 November, 8:30 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens,

Tickets: megaron.gr

What’s On In Athens This Week: October 16

October may be coming to an end, but the fabulous events taking place this month keep coming. We’ve rounded up the best festivals and concerts taking place in Athens this week that you shouldn’t miss!

Jordi Savall Concert
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

Jordi Savall and his orchestra are bringing back the magic of viols, the lesser-known relative of the violin family, with their upcoming performance at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), Savall’s orchestra. They will be joined by the women’s section of the National Choir of Catalonia and the program features two important symphonic compositions by Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, Opus 90, known as the “Italian,” and Ein Sommernachstraum (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Don’t miss the chance to experience the beauty of viols and enjoy a night of exquisite music.

Entry: €12-65

Date & Time: 16 October 2023, 8.30 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens

Tickets:  megaron.gr

Lubomyr Melnyk at the Athens Concert Hall
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

Don’t miss the chance to witness a musical genius in action! Lubomyr Melnyk, the Ukrainian pianist and creator of “continuous music,” will showcase his incredible ability to play up to 19 notes per second with each hand, at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron). With over 120 solo and double piano compositions, Melnyk’s music is transcendent and captures his audience with every note. 

Entry: €9-45

Date & Time: 18 October 2023, 8.30 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, 115 21

Tickets: megaron.gr

Τhe “Butterfly Effect”
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

For the first time, an exhibition will be held on the premises of the most famous textile industry in Greece, named Petalouda (butterfly). A project curated by Kostas Prapoglou, here forty-one visual artists (such as Eozen Agopian, Klitsa Antoniou, Orit Ben Shitrit, Robert Cahen, Irene Carvajal, Susan Daboll, Lydia Dabassina, Maria Loizidou, Despina Meimaroglou, Nikos Tranos) rise though their work with social issues related to Greek industrial history and the role of women, the meditative dimension of manual labor and the interconnectedness of events- via installations, videos, sculptures, soundscapes, and paintings.

Entry: Free

Date & Time: 16-22 October 2023

Address: Petalouda Textile Industry, 41 Kifisou Ave, Athens

Petit Paris d’Athènes Festival
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

This year marks the 10th anniversary of this popular event that will take place in the area extending from Karaiskaki and Vathi Squares to Larissa Station- where several streets are named after 19th-century French dignitaries. A beloved celebration of Athenian culture, visitors will be able to see more than 500 artists, creatives and intellectuals participate, throughout selected venues (theatres, music stages, galleries, squares, pedestrian streets, conservatories, schools, neoclassical-historical buildings, hotels and other alternative spaces) in events ranging from music concerts to art galleries. This year’s theme “Love in the arts”, will see all works inspired by amour.

Entry: Free admission

Date: 19 October 2023 – 29 October 2023

Venue: Various places around Athens

Website: mikroparisis.eu

Pink Floyd Tribute
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

Pink Floyd Tribute band, Echoes, is one of the best tribute bands worldwide and continue to carry with it the rich legacy of a band known as one of the greatest of all time. Echoes have collaborated so far with famous musicians such as Michael Sadler, Midge Ure and Geoff Tate and in this live performance they will take their audience on a big emotional journey with classic tracks from the “Best of Pink Floyd” and a setlist that also includes some of their almost unknown works.

Entry: €20-58

Date & Time: 20 October 2023, 9 pm

Address: Christmas Theater, 137 Veikou Ave., Galatsi

Tickets: more.com

Passenger Live
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

Passenger, the performer, and composer of “Let Her Go”, one of the biggest hit singles of the 21st century, will be in Athens for his first concert in Greece. The memorable British singer/songwriter whose song has made YouTube history, with over 3.3 billion views – continues to enjoy worldwide appeal. In total, Passenger has released 14 albums, with 8 of them entering the top 40 of the UK charts. And in his first appearance in Athens, Passenger promises an unforgettable performance with his folk-rock melodies.

Entry: €26

Date & Time: 22 October 2023, 8 pm

Address: Gagarin, 201 Liosion Avenue, 10445

Tickets:  more.com

Wine and Art Festival 2023
Insights Greece - What's On In Athens This Week: October 16

The largest wine and art festival in Greece returns this weekend, at the School of Fine Arts in Athens, with an impressive list of wineries and artworks from Athens School of Fine Arts. You will have the opportunity to taste more than 500 wines from 65 Boutique Wineries as well as take part in a range of workshops, and seminars and enjoy performances and music played by local DJs.

Entry: €12 

Date: 21 October 2023 – 22 October 2023

Address: Athens School of Fine Arts, 256 Pireos, Agios Ioannis Rentis

Website: wineandartfestival.gr

What’s on in Athens This Week: October 9

The first tree leaves may be falling and the weather may be getting colder – but Athens’ cultural scene is on fire! The first week of October finds the capital with plenty of great events taking place and we’ve rounded them all up for you. 

Book as Art
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

Exciting news for art lovers in Athens! The Gramma Epsilon Gallery is hosting the Books as Art exhibition, curated by Paolo Cortese and supported by the Italian Institute of Culture. Featuring works by over 30 international artists, this group exhibition challenges our perception of what a “book” can be. Don’t miss the chance to see works dating back to the 1960s alongside contemporary pieces- from conceptual to fibre art, the three-dimensional pieces on display explore the diverse possibilities of books as a means of artistic expression.

Entry: Free

Date & Time: 1-20 October, Thursday-Saturday

Αddress: Gramma Epsilon Gallery, 6 Agathonos, Monastiraki

Oedipus in Search of Colonus
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

This radical VR installation by Loukia Alavanou, who represented Greece at the 59th Venice Art Biennale, will be shown for the first time at Onassis Stegi. A 15-minute film, shot with 360° VR technology and members of the Roma community from Nea Zoi in Aspropyrgos of Western Attica, in the roles of a cast of actors who follow in the traces of Oedipus. As the creator underlines, this installation aims to evoke questions around the themes of aging and death, human dignity and universal freedom, immigration, displacement, minorities, racism, and human rights.

Entry: 8 €

Date & Time: 11-30 October 2023, Wednesday-Sunday 6 pm-11 pm

Address: Onassis Stegi, 107-109 Syggrou Avenue, Neos Kosmos

Website: Onassis.org

Tickets: ticket.onassis.org

Pytheas Travels
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

“Pytheas Travels” is a staged audiovisual simulation highlighting the experience of being on a passenger ship, travelling from the Mediterranean to the seas of Scandinavia. It is a maritime story, a fictional journey and a critical look at the mass tourism industry and its effects on environmental, cultural and social structures. Accompanied by music from pioneering Norwegian composer and performer Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, it’s inspired by the historical journey of Pytheas, who in 325 BC sailed north from Marseilles to a place he called Ultima Thule, the mythical island, to reach the “frozen seas.”

Entry: 5-24 €

Date & Time: 13-15 October 2023, Friday-Sunday 8.30 pm

Address: Onassis Stegi, 107-109 Syggrou Avenue, Neos Kosmos

Website: Onassis.org

Tickets: ticket.onassis.org

I Puritani
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

This year’s 100th anniversary of the birth of the greatest Greek soprano of all time is just one more reason to fill Athens with dedicated events in her honour. At the Olympia Municipal Theater- where Maria Callas started her career back in 1944 – the famous opera “I Puritani”, a performance that marked her rise to stardom will be performed this week. The special event is presented by the City of Athens Choir, the Athens State Orchestra, and the stunning soprano Christina Poulitsi and American tenor John Osborn are found in the leading roles.

Entry: 5-40 €

Date & Time: 14 October, 8 pm

Tickets: ticketservices.gr

Αddress: Olympia Municipal Music Theater Maria Callas, 59 Akadimias Historic Center 

Meet Market
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

If you love searching for special items to decorate your home, or love accessories for yourself or as special gifts – we’ve found a great place for you to visit during your stay in Athens. The Meet Market is a nomadic spot filled with innovation and creativity- featuring locally made clothes, jewelry, accessories, care & wellness products, art & decor, baby items, delicious treats, vintage collectibles, street food – plus a bunch of interactive games, DJ sets & good vibes.

Entry: Free

Date & Time: 14-15 October 2023, 12 am to 12 pm

Address: Peiraios 100, Athens, cultural venue of “Technopolis”

Website: themeetmarket.gr

Athens Cocktails Party
Insights Greece - What's on in Athens This Week: October 9

If you would like to taste some of the finest cocktails – created by Athens’ leading mixologists from some of the best bars in the Greek capital – head to Kypseli Municipal Market this weekend. The cool event is the brainchild of George Apergis, founder of local electronic music collective Modular Expansion, so you can rest assured there will be plenty of great tunes to listen to as you sip on your favourite drink.

Tickets: Free admission

Date: 14 October 2023

Time: 3 pm – 11.30 pm

Address: Kypseli Municipal Market, 42 Fokionos Negri, Kypseli

Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

Discover the best events taking place in Athens during the month of October. 

As autumn sets in, Athens comes alive with a variety of cultural events to relish. From open-air music concerts under the starry sky to marvelous art exhibitions and festivals, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Embrace the season and immerse yourself in the cultural richness with our top picks for this month.

Vegan Life Festival Athens 2023
Insights Greece - Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

Europe’s most popular vegan festival is back! Since 2016, Vegan Life Festival has been drawing crowds from all over the continent. With two days packed with exciting stuff- you’ll have the opportunity to attend hands-on cooking workshops, insightful panels, a vegan products bazaar, live music, and even a speed dating event for a chance to make some new pals who share your passion for cruelty-free eats. But Vegan Life Festival isn’t just about having a good time – the organisation also has a strong focus on animal rights and initiatives that collect food for those in need.

Entry: Free

Date & Time: 1 October, 11 am- 11pm

Αddress: Peiraios 100, Athens, cultural venue of “Technopolis”

“Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead”
Insights Greece - Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

This theatrical play is part crime, part thriller and part comedy. The new production of the iconic Complicité theatre group is based on the multi-translated novel by Nobel Prize for Literature laureate Olga Tokarczuk. Created and directed by Simon McBurney, it questions why is the killing of animals a sport and a hobby and that of humans a murder. A thought-provoking, wry, and otherworldly murder mystery tale about the cosmos, poetry, and the limitations and possibilities of activism has audiences captivated. The performance is in English with Greek surtitles.

Entry: €10-€60

Date 4-7 October, Wednesday-Friday 8.30 pm, Saturday 2.30 pm & 8.30 pm

Tickets: tickets.onassis.org

Αddress: Onassis Stegi 107-109 Syggrou Avenue 1745 Athens, Greece

Website: onassis.org

Seong-Jin Cho at the Athens Concert Hall
Insights Greece - Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

For the talented Seong-Jin Cho, winning the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition most important piano competition in the world – was just the springboard to begin his brilliant career, gaining global fame and becoming the first pianist from his country to do so. The South Korean classical pianist begins another new season at the Athens Concert Hall for a highly acclaimed solo recital that is dominated by two benchmark works of the piano repertoire: Ravel’s imposing Miroirs and Liszt’s explosive Dante Fantasia.

Entry: Ticket prices: €11 – €60

Date & Time: 25 October, 8.30 pm

Address: The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), 115 Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, Athens, 115 21

Website: megaron.gr

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Dmitri Shostakovich
Insights Greece - Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

The Greek National Opera is bringing back one of the most outstanding productions to have graced its stage in recent years. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, an iconic opera of the 20th century and a breathtaking Dmitri Shostakovich masterpiece– is returning to the Stavros Niarchos Hall this month. Conducting is Fabrizio Ventura, while the production’s staging is by Fanny Ardant, working with an all-star international creative team. This timeless masterpiece distinctly sets itself apart as it tackles the place of women within pre-revolutionary rural Russia and captures the audience from start to finish.

Entry: €10-€90

Date 21, 24, 27, 31 October, Performance times: 7.30 pm, Sunday 6.30 pm

Tickets: ticketservice.gr

Αddress: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Syggrou Avenue 364, 17674 Kallithea

Website: nationalopera.gr

Homecoming | Cycladic treasures on their return journey
Insights Greece - Ultimate Events Guide to Athens in October

The highly anticipated exhibition “Homecoming. Cycladic treasures on their return journey” will include a display of 15 antiquities for the first time worldwide. Presented by the Museum of Cycladic Art in collaboration with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and this is the first step of the historic agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Museum of Cycladic Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (The Met), that foresees the gradual return to Greece of 161 Early Cycladic antiquities of the unique archaeological value of the American collector Leonard Stern. Following this, the entire collection will be exhibited at The Met, before the final return of the entirety of these antiquities to Greece.

Entry: €6

Date & Time: 1-31 October, daily except Tuesdays

Tickets: cycladic.gr

Αddress: Stathatos Mansion Vasilissis Sofias ave. & 1, Irodotou str., Athens

Website: cycladic.gr

Image by Paris Tavitian © Museum of Cycladic Art

Acropolis Museum is Celebrating its 13th Birthday Today

To celebrate its 13th birthday today, Monday 20 June 2022, the Acropolis Museum is inviting visitors to its exhibition areas with reduced tickets (5 euro), a live concert and the opening of a wonderful new exhibition. 

The Museum will be open from 8 am to 4 pm today with reduced tickets to all exhibition areas, and at 3 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy music by the Woodwind Quintet of the Athens State Orchestra.


Insights Greece - Acropolis Museum is Celebrating its 13th Birthday Today
Image by the Acropolis Museum

From today until January 8, 2023 the Acropolis Museum will present the exhibition program “Ton Athinithen athlon. Panathenaic amphorae from Toronto, Canada back to their birthplace”, with two exquisite vessels created in Athens over 2,500 years ago. They are Panathenaic amphorae, vessels filled with oil that was given as a prize to the victors of contests held during the festival of the Great Panathenaia. One side is decorated with the figure of Athena Promachos and the other with scenes related to the games for which they were given as prizes.

The two vessels from the Royal Ontario Museum will be exhibited in the Parthenon Gallery, relating to the great temple’s frieze, where Pheidias and his collaborators artfully carved the Panathenaic procession.

This presentation is an event taking place simultaneously with the presentation “From Athens to Toronto: A Greek Masterpiece Revealed” at the Royal Ontario Museum where the Acropolis Kore 670 is on display from March 2022. The event has been organised as part of cultural exchanges between the Acropolis Museum and other great museums abroad, contributing to the enhancement of friendly relations between the people of different countries.

For more details head to The Acropolis Museum

Pool Your Cinema Returns at the Hotel Grande Bretagne 

Athens’ Hotel Grande Bretagne is welcoming guests to experience a unique outdoor summer cinema event in the heart of the city, with their Pool Your Cinema 2022 nights. 

Located at the GB Pool Bar area on the 7th floor of the landmark hotel, with amazing and uninterrupted views of Lycabettus Hill, guests are able to catch all-time classic favourites, Hollywood blockbusters, and romantic comedies on the big screen, while savoring the delightful finger food menu, prepared by the hotel’s Executive Chef Asterios Koustoudis. 

From mini cheeseburgers and handmade pizza to caramelized popcorn and ice cream, guests can also grab a wine, beer, or cocktail as they watch a film under the stars! 

Screenings are taking place over the next few weeks, with films including Dial M for Murder, as well as Take The Money and RunFrench Dispatch, and The Full Monty.

Bookings are allowed until one day prior to the film screening and details can be found below. 

Price: €50 (includes menu and a glass of wine or beer) 

Until: 10 July 2022

Address: Hotel Grande Bretagne, 1 Vasileos Georgiou A, Syntagma 

Pool Your Cinema

Athens Open Air Cinema Week 2022 

There’s nothing like sitting back and taking in a film under the stars at one of Athens’ open-air cinemas; and to celebrate this memorable experience, the Greek Capital’s Open Air Cinema Week begins on Thursday, May 26, 2022. 

Located in the city’s urban alleyways, lush gardens, green parks, charming courtyards, and cool terraces (with the Acropolis as a backdrop) the open-air cinema is a summer tradition in Athens; one that both locals and visitors look forward to for many reasons.

Balmy evenings, soda and popcorn in hand, amazing atmosphere, and some of the best films on the big screen- a perfect way to escape the buzzing streets of Athens for a few hours.  

And the Open Air Cinema Week, which is part of the brand new Athens City Festival, is set to bring all these things to life on Thursday at Eleftherias Park, right next to the Athens Concert Hall, as well as at the American Embassy, which boasts a gorgeous view of Mount Ymittos.

Both these spots will be the hosting grounds for this much-anticipated event, which will have contemporary Greek cinema as the theme- so visitors can really get a feel of Greece’s current arts and culture scene- right under the stars! 

Click here for more info on tickets and dates, as well as the full program of This is Athens City Festival.

Info

Tickets: Free admission

Date: 26 May 2022 – 29 May 2022

Time: TBA

A: Eleftherias Park, Eleftherias Park, Ambelokipi 

Image Courtesy of This is Athens ©

1st Athens Cocktail Festival & Cocktail Week Ready to Kick Off

The Greek capital is ready to toast the summer season with the 1st Athens Cocktail Festival & Athens Cocktail Week.

By Gina Lionatos 

With what is fast becoming the hottest bar scene in Europe, it was only a matter of time before Athens stepped up with its own cocktail festival to open the summer tourist season. With the support of the Municipality of Athens, and as a part of the ‘This is Athens Festival’, the city will move to the rhythm of the largest cocktail festival in Greece.

Insights Greece - 1st Athens Cocktail Festival & Cocktail Week Ready to Kick Off
Athens 1st Cocktail Festival

The first Athens Cocktail Festival kicks off over a cocktail-filled two days at the “Lighthouse” of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre on 20 & 21 May 2022. 

After that, the action extends to the city’s bars for all to enjoy. Athens Cocktail Week will run from 22 to 28 May 2022 and will see the best bars in Athens hosting a series of guest nights and special events. All the excitement will culminate on the closing night on May 28, 2022, with a large closing party in the city center.

Information on events is still unfolding, so to stay updated, tune into @athenscocktailfestivalofficial’s social media on Instagram for details.  

Pre-sale tickets to Athens Cocktail Festival include two cocktails and are available through viva.gr at  https://www.viva.gr/tickets/festival/athens-cocktail-festival/

 * All the activities of Athens Cocktail Festival & Athens Cocktail Week, are supported by the Municipality of Athens as well as by AMKE Metron Ariston – Making Responsibility a Trend and operating in light of the Responsible Consumption and green practices.

Insights Greece - 1st Athens Cocktail Festival & Cocktail Week Ready to Kick Off

Main image by This Is Athens | Amalia Kovaiou ©

Athens City Festival ’22: Food & Wine Pairing Museum Sessions 

The first Food & Wine pairing session in Athens’ museums, as part of the Athens City Festival, will commence tonight; allowing guests to sip on a fine glass of Pinot Noir while admiring a marvellous 5,000-year-old Cycladic exhibit.

The restaurants of the Acropolis Museum (12/05), The B&E Goulandris Foundation (26/05) and MOMus – Museum Alex Mylona (27/05) are all taking part in the exciting sessions and will be adjusting their menus for the special occasion, highlighting a number of wonderful varieties and labels from a wide range of wineries from all over the country.

For every session, five Greek wine etiquettes will be combined with five dishes made from the finest Greek ingredients by internationally accomplished chefs. 

The first session at the Acropolis Museum tonight, titled “Ancient Diet and Wine Tasting” will see the museum’s archaeologists answering questions such as, “What was the relationship of the ancient Athenians with wine?” “How did they drink it and what did they accompany it with?” “But more generally, what did their diet include?” “Which products were local and which were imported?” “And what role did they play in the religious life of the city?” This unique experience will be completed in the restaurant on the second floor with views of the Acropolis, and a meal prepared especially for the occasion accompanied by wine tasting with the support of the “Biblia Chora” Winery.

This is a sell-out event, so make sure you get in quick for the next two sessions, which offer a unique experience not to be missed! 

Info

Tickets: €50

Date: 12 May 2022 – 27 May 2022

Check the festival’s full program for more info.

Image Courtesy of Acropolis Museum