Whoever lives in the cosmopolitan city of Athens and will not have the chance to travel to a winter destination for the festive season, will be pleased to know that the Municipality of Athens has organized a calendar full of exciting events around the city.
The festive celebrations started yesterday, 1st of December 2022, with the lighting of Christmas Tree in Syntagma Square. The presenters of the night were Jenny Melita and Fotis Sergoulopoulos, who gave a glimpse of the numerous events that will take place around the city for the festive season. The event started with music from Petros Kourtis and his band. Moreover, popular singer Tamta collaborated with the band for an unforgettable music experience.
The lighting of the Christmas tree was completed by several mayors from around the world, who visited Greece for the festivities of this year. Mayors from USA, Poland, Belgium, Albania, Moldova, Uruguay, and the UK had the pleasure to take part in this big event and experienced the Greek hospitality. Each one of the visiting mayors pushed the magical button to help lit up the Christmas tree in the main square in Athens. The Christmas tree has 21 meters height and was transferred to Athens from Karpenisi, Greece. It is decorated by 40,000 lights, 5km in length and with thousands of ornaments. For the first time, the Municipality of Athens has replaced all Christmas decoration of the city with LED lights to help reduce the electricity consumption by 80%.
The presenters of the evening announced the events that will be held around the city. These include the setup of ten Christmas Markets in several locations in Athens, with unique atmosphere, live music and festive delicacies throughout December and the beginning of January. The biggest Christmas Market will be exhibited in Omonoia Square. The Municipality of Athens will also hold interactive music events in different areas of the city, where kids will feel the Christmas spirit and spend quality time with their families. Concerts with popular artists will take place in many locations after December 20th, while smaller Christmas events will pop up in every corner of Athens, hosted by Greek radio stations. The ‘Night of Wishes’ is the new favorite tradition that will take place in Kotzia Square on the night of 24th of December. That night, the sky will be filled with lit traditional lanterns representing Christmas wishes. What a magical night it will be! Last but not least, the most important night of the Christmas calendar will be the one of the 31st of December. The Municipality of Athens will host the biggest event in Syntagma Square, where the crowd will share the last day of the year celebrating, enjoying live music with famous artists and experiencing many surprises. People will welcome 2023 with the best way possible, full of love and unity.
Happy festive season! Enjoy it, no matter where you are!
We certainly hope you could be in Athens!
