On the 1st of December the lights turn on in a big celebration at 19.00 with free entry – The Rink on the Channel is back – Events all month
The Christmas World of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center comes to life on Sunday, December 1 at 7:00 pm.
As every year, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) offers moments of Christmas magic to all and sundry and shares the joy, warmth and hope of the holidays in a venue that has now established itself as the capital’s favorite festive destination for millions visitors.
The Skating Rink on the Canal, the Festival of Lighting Installations in Stavros Niarchos Park, the Dancing Fountains, the towering decorated fir trees in the Agora and the 80 illuminated plane trees along the Canal, the brilliant illumination festival on December 1st and the always spectacular event on Eve New Year’s Eve, everything makes up an imaginative Christmas scene. Against this background, a rich program unfolds that has something for everyone: concerts, performances and film screenings for the whole family, DJ sets, skating, games, workshops, happenings, are just some of what will be happening this Christmas truly special for everyone!
The countdown started on November 1st on SNFCC’s social media and continues until November 30th, with a series of separate videos that can be viewed here.
The SNFCC Christmas World comes to life with the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). All actions and events take place either with free entry or with a very affordable ticket.
1 December at 19.00: The SNFCC Christmas World comes to life
SNFCC market
Entrance free
On Sunday December 1st at 19.00 the SNFCC is lit up in a glittering celebration hosted by the actress and director Smaragda Karydis. The towering decorated fir trees dominate the Agora, the plane trees along the Canal, clad in thousands of lanterns, light up and the stage is set to welcome VOX The Acapella Group, the first polyphonic pop group in Greece to use the human voice as a musical instrument, and Sofia Strati, who will give us soul-funk melodies with her charismatic voice. With them, the Fountains in the Canal and the skaters in the Ice Rink dance to Christmas rhythms.
The December 1 celebration will be broadcast online by ERT 2.
Ice rink in Kanali
01/12/2024 – 07/01/2025, 10.00 – 22.00
Entrance free
The SNFCC Ice Rink is back!
On December 1st, the Rink emerges from the Channel and invites all skaters, seasoned and inexperienced, to dance on the ice to their favorite Christmas tunes.
Visitors find the Ice Rink, as always, on the north bank of the Canal, where, in addition to skating, they can enjoy the illuminated spectacle of the SNFCC and the Choreographed Fountains as they twirl on their ice skates.
The ice rink operates daily from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm, weather permitting.
SNFCC Ice Rink Sponsors: COSMOTE | Natural Gas Hellenic Energy Company
Festival of Lighting Installations in Stavros Niarchos Park
01/12/2024 – 07/01/2025, 17.00 – 00.00
Entrance free
Once again, Stavros Niarchos Park shines a light on the festivities and invites its visitors to a fantastic experience. Six impressive lighting installations by important international and Greek artists are this year’s selection for the thematic Dreamy Dreams: Dreamscapes of the Festival of Lighting Installations.
Projects that utilize the latest technology and others that in their simplicity create a dreamlike atmosphere. Swirling stars, luminous planets, sound waves, pulsating thoughts and mystical rituals, immerse the visitor in a magical tour, inviting him to participate, explore and discover the Park area with a new look.
Visitors have the opportunity to wander around different parts of the Park – in the Clearwater, the Dome, the Pine Tree, the Water Jets, the Planted Houses – to interact with the lighting installations, take photos with their loved ones and be enchanted by the light.
More specifically, visitors to Xefoto encounter Squidsoup’s Wave project, an audio-visual experience consisting of approximately 500 individual luminous spheres. Next, a stop at the Dome reveals Hans E. Madsen and Frederik D. Hougs’ Pressure, a large luminous scribble made of transparent tube with built-in pixel-controlled LED lighting. In Pefkona, Vendel and de Wolf’s Error surprises, an impressive swirling black hole, which represents, in an abstract way, the connection of the randomness of the universe with that of technology.
“Did the moon fall from the sky?” wonder those who face it
Moonburn by the collective Stichting Barstow, a large balloon decorated with fluorescent color installed in the Water Jets, while the Planted Houses are filled with bright five-pointed stars, the project WISH by EVERYTHING Works. Finally, the Procession of Eleni Maragakis and Giorgos Nikas returns, creating a landscape of LED light columns placed on either side of the central path leading to the Park, starting at the junction of Evripidou and Doirani streets.
All Lighting Installations are accessible to people with disabilities.
December at SNFCC: a month of celebration
From December 1, when the SNFCC is illuminated, until New Year’s Eve with the spectacular fireworks show and the big party in the Agora, a rich program with many surprises awaits visitors!
Theater show for the whole family
Christmas Stories at the Lighthouse
A Christmas Story
by Charles Dickens
Performances on 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29 and 30/12 and on 01, 03, 04, 05 and 06/01
18.30 on weekdays and 18.00 on Sundays
Lighthouse
The most famous, perhaps, Christmas story is presented in a new theatrical adaptation and direction by Hector Lygizou (based on the translation by Maria Angelidou), which – with the basic tools of the group narrative of a young ensemble (Manos Vavadakis, Eva Vlassopoulou, Giorgos Ziakas, Sofia Kokkalis, Vicky Kyriakoulakou, Hector Lygizos, Giorgos Fourtounis), the fast and spectacular action, the humor, the music and the songs (original music / stage musician, Kornilios Selamsis) – will bring to life on stage the emotional and moral transformation of one of the most delightful misanthropes of world literature.
Ebenezer Scrooge, an incurably miserly and hard-hearted usurer, has lived for years closed in on himself, madly hating people – but especially Christmas! But this year’s festivities are different: on Christmas Eve, he is visited by a ghost from the past and three spirits in succession, taking him on an exciting journey through time that will bring him back in touch with the lost feelings of joy and love.
Concerts
The SNFCC Christmas World could not be without the music that will fill the space! On December 16, at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, the intercultural symphony orchestra and youth choir of El Sistema Greece give a cinematic dimension to this year’s Christmas, presenting popular songs from beloved musicals as well as timeless movie hits, together with soloists Myrsini Margaritis and Nikolas Karagiauri . Kyriako Kountouri conducts the orchestra, while Vaia Papagiannopoulou conducts the choir.
On December 23, again in the Stavros Niarchos Hall, the National Symphony Orchestra of ERT presents a festive program for Christmas with three classic works: the Great Zoological Fantasy “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint Saens, the “Triptych for two pianos” by Christos Papageorgiou and the Suite from the opera “Christmas Eve” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Finally, the festive period closes with a concert-tribute to the jazz legend Louis Armstrong by the Storyville Ragtimers entitled “Black & Blue” which will take place on January 6 in the Agora with free admission.
New Year’s Eve
As every year, on December 31st, the SNFCC Christmas World reaches its peak of brilliance. The famous SNFCC New Year’s Eve, now established as the New Year’s rendezvous for thousands of visitors of all ages, has it all: skating at the Ice Rink until 02.00, spectacular fireworks, hosted by Jerome Kaluta, concert by Ian Stratis, DJ set with Nicola Lavacca and, of course, the first road race of the year, the SNF RUN: 2025 FIRST RUN of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), which takes place in collaboration with AMKE “Renaissance & Progress”, under the scientific supervision of Sports Excellence /A΄ Orthopaedics EKPA Surgical Clinic. Registration for the race opens on Monday 02 December.
Christmas Pop-Up Bar in Faros
From December 22 until January 7, from 17.00 to 23.00, as part of the Christmas World, the Lighthouse Porch is transformed into a new Christmas Pop-Up Bar, the ultimate Christmas meeting point for SNFCC visitors. The architect – set designer, Elina Loukou, is re-designing a Pop-Up Bar in Faros for this year’s festivities, which offers a panoramic view of the SNFCC and the lighting installations of the Stavros Niarchos Park. Well-known DJs and music producers on the decks from 20.00 to 22.30 and a long list of cocktails complete the experience.
Park Your Cinema: Christmas Edition
The popular series of movie screenings is back in a new spot and in a Christmas edition! From December 21st to January 6th, every evening at 6:00 p.m., visitors make an appointment at Stavros Niarchos Park, at the Park Kiosk, where classic and favorite holiday movies are shown for the whole family.
Christmas Makers’ Market: The handmade magic of the holidays
From December 21st to January 7th, the Christmas Makers’ Market is coming – for the first time to the SNFCC – to transform the Mediterranean Garden in Stavros Niarchos Park into a festive meeting place and creation. Established and new creators come together to share original, handmade gifts with visitors, but also to help them make their own creations in real time.
SNFCC Christmas Makers’ Market Sponsor: COSMOTE
More Christmas experiences for everyone
The SNFCC Christmas World also hosts workshops for children and adults, daily surprise happenings in the Agora, sports programs with festive “color”, but also a series of dynamic musical and educational activities organized by the SNFCC Youth Council. At the same time, musk-scented Christmas cookies and cupcakes, delicious honey macaroni and panettone, crepes and waffles, hot chocolate and wine, cocktails, soups and many other festive tasty suggestions, await visitors at the SNFCC’s catering points, while the SNFCC Store offers many special offers this year as well gifts.
More information and the detailed program of the SNFCC Christmas World can be found here
Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
