Athens: Events

Holidays of significance include Epiphany on 6 January, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Independence Day on 25 March, Labour Day on 1 May, Assumption Day on 15 August (celebrated with family reunions), Ohi Day on 28 October, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day (26 December).

The Greek carnival season runs the three weeks before the beginning of Lent; festivities in Athens involve eating, drinking and all-around merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in the Greek Orthodox calendar. The candlelit procession climbing Lykavittos Hill to the Chapel of Agios Georgos is a truly impressive sight.

Cultural events rapidly roll in come summertime. Greek folk dances are performed from mid-May to September at the Dora Stratou Theatre. But the city's biggest event is the Hellenic Festival, from mid-June to the end of September. An eclectic program of music, dance and theatre including Ancient Greek drama is performed at the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus - a superb setting backed by the floodlit Acropolis. Performances are held at venues around town.