Athens Events

The idea of 'Fete de la Musique' was a European initiative, launched in 1982 as the only Pan-European cultural event dedicated to music. Held over the day of the summer solstice, it is organised by professional and institutional partners from various European countries and involves both professional performers and amateur musicians. It brings together all styles of music and targets the whole population. Traditional music, orchestras, choirs, pop, jazz, rock, rap and techno are all included. In Athens, the festival has taken off like a rocket, giving rise to a three-day party when the squares and parks of the centre are filled with crowds enjoying the different styles of music and having fun until the early hours. For three successive nights, Athens rocks to its foundations.

The premier festival of rock music in Greece takes place 40km (25 miles) from Athens, in a 15,000-capacity events venue. The event attracts some big name performers and Prodigy, Blur, Garbage, Marilyn Manson, Black Sabbath and Scissors Sisters have all played here in the past. Since the first Rockwave in 1996 this has established itself as a firm favourite amongst music fans and attracts a top cast of musicians and bands from around the world. The music line-up is complemented by on-site activities and entertainments such as bungee jumping, stilt walking, a skate park and acrobatic performances - all under the warm Greek sun.

For many visitors this might be less of an attraction than something to avoid, as towns and cities all over Greece tend to grind to a halt for a few hours. 28 October is Ochi Day - Ochi meaning No - the anniversary of General Ioannis Metaxas' flat denial to the Italians' request for free passage to invade Greece. Today this event is marked with extravagant military parades involving soldiers, students and tanks along the main boulevards in Athens and other Greek cities.

A sporting event rooted in ancient history, the marathon race was born here in Athens, when the soldier Pheidippides brought news of the Athenian victory over the Persians from the battlefield at Marathon. The first marathon race was run at the Athens Olympic Games in 1896. Today the Athens marathon is run over the same route followed by Pheidippides, more or less, and over the traditional distance of 42.195km (26 miles 385 yards). The race begins at the ancient battlefield of Marathon and meanders on roads through the environs of Athens before arriving at the Panathinaikon Stadium. The route is mainly flat but with hilly stretches in the middle.

While many are sleeping-off earlier excesses on New Year's Day, others in Greece are celebrating the Orthodox Christian Feast of Saint Basil. In churches throughout the country, The Divine Liturgy is preceded by a Matins (Orthros) service. Saint Basil also plays the role of a Greek Santa, distributing gifts, and many Greeks still practise the old custom of slicing a piece of 'Vassilopita' (Basil Cake) in the hope of discovering a coin, embedded by the baker for good luck. The theme of chance extends to gambling, this day being seen by many as auspicious for a flutter at the gaming tables. The day is a public holiday.

Festivities and celebrations.

Military parades celebrating the anniversary of the end of Ottoman occupation.

The Greek Orthodox faith's most important celebration sees candlelit processions, solemn masses and firework displays.

A public holiday in Greece, Labour Day is celebrated with parades in many cities. The stongest tradition, though, coincides with the height of springtime and the profusion of flowers in the countryside. There is a general exodus out of the towns for picnics and kite-flying. Flowers are gathered and made into wreaths to decorate houses, cars and even donkeys.