Festive programs for children, special guided tours of the exhibition “The ancient civilizations of Basilicata. Treasures that come to light”, festive music on the ground floor of the Museum, special gifts in the shop and festive dishes in the restaurant, await you this Christmas at the Acropolis Museum.

Guided tours of the exhibition “The ancient civilizations of Basilicata.
Treasures Coming to Light”

The Museum invites you to the exhibition “The ancient civilizations of Basilicata. Treasures Coming to Light’ in the Hall of Periodical Exhibitions. Attend one of the weekly guided tours by the Museum’s Archaeologists and experience the unknown beauty of the cultures encountered by the ancient Greeks from the Peloponnese and insular Greece on their long journeys to settle in the land of Italy and Sicily, mainly in the part that was later called Great Greece. Dressed in copper, gold, silver and amber, the people of ancient Oinotria, today’s Basilicata, introduce themselves to the public. Reserve a seat here: http://events.theacropolismuseum.gr. In addition, the Museum offers an audio tour available via QR code inside the exhibition space, for an independent visit. The exhibition runs until January 26, 2025 and admission is free.

Audio tour – The ancient civilizations of Basilicata

Festive program for children “Playing with… past”

This Christmas, the Museum invites its little friends to discover the toys of antiquity and have fun! Miniature clay pots, dolls, wheeled horses, spinners, and much more await them at the “Museum of Excavation”. Together with the archaeologists, they will travel with their imaginations to the past, through the streets, yards and houses of an ancient neighborhood, where the voices of children laughing, crying, fighting, reconciling, but above all… playing, once echoed! After the magical journey through time, children will be taken to the Children’s Corner on the 2nd floor of the Museum, where they will touch replicas of ancient toys and build similar toys, taking away a precious souvenir of this experience.
If you have children aged 6 to 12, we are waiting for you on Friday 27/12 and Monday 30/12, at 10:30 am. and at 12:30 p.m.
Reserve a seat here: http://events.theacropolismuseum.gr (reservations start on 17/12)
Cost: A day ticket for adults and a zero ticket for children is a necessary condition.

The program is carried out by the Department of Educational Programs of the Museum and the Information & Education Department of the Acropolis Monuments Maintenance Service.

Festive program for children “Myths high in the sky”

The Children’s Corner of the Museum is filled with the sparkle of the stars! She dresses festively and awaits you on a journey through the paths of the starry sky. The archaeologists of the Museum tell, to the accompaniment of melodious sounds, myths about gods, heroes and special people who were transformed into bright points in the sky. Come and listen to the fantastic stories from the magical world of constellations, sing, draw our own stars and make the most beautiful wishes!
If you have children aged 3 to 5, we are waiting for you on Saturday 28/12 and Sunday 29/12, at 10:30 am. and at 12:30 p.m.
Reserve a seat here: http://events.theacropolismuseum.gr (reservations start on 17/12)
Cost: A day ticket for adults and a zero ticket for children is a necessary condition.

The program is carried out by the Department of Educational Programs of the Museum.

Musical mood on the ground floor of the Museum

On Sunday, December 22 at 12 noon, the students of the Experimental Music Gymnasium – Lyceum of Pallini will offer the visitors of the Museum a Christmas musical journey. The “Mixed Choir” and “Chamber Orchestra” Ensembles, under the direction of teachers Ioannis Kontitsis and Christos Mitsakis respectively, will present “Concerto Grosso Op.6 Nr.8” (Christmas) by Arcangelo Corelli, excerpts from the “Eight Dodecanese” and the “Eight Songs of Asia Minor” by Yiannis Konstantinidis, traditional carols of the Propontis and finally “Hallelujah” from the oratorio “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel. Event organizer: Alexandros Galanopoulos, Director of Experimental Music at Pallini High School and Ioannis Lymberis, Director of Music at Pallini High School. It is worth noting that the Pallini Experimental Music High School is the first public Music School in the country and this year completes 36 years of operation, having to its credit countless performances in emblematic venues such as the Herod Atticus Conservatory, the Athens Concert Hall, the Municipal Theater of Piraeus but also partnerships with prominent artistic and educational organizations, such as the Athens Academy and the National Opera.

On Monday, December 23, at 12:30 p.m., the Museum will welcome the Vrakoforos Club of Crete for traditional Cretan dances and carols, under the direction of Yiannis Petrakis.

On Saturday, December 28, at 12 noon, the Museum will offer its visitors a concert of well-known Christmas tunes by the historical musical group of the Air Force Band, under the direction of Chief of Staff (MS) Alexandros Litsardopoulos. Performed by: Sofia Zova (soprano) and Angelos Musicas (baritone).

To close the year, on Monday December 30, at 12 noon, the Museum will host the students of the Jazz Ensemble of the Music Gymnasium – Lyceum of Athens, who will play recognizable festive jazz compositions, under the supervision of their teachers, Nikos Kordelis and Dimitris Verdinoglou. Although it has only been in operation for a few years, the Athens Music School participates in actions that span a wide range of musical events and this concert presents a typical example of the great work that is born within the Music Schools.

In the Museum restaurant overlooking the Acropolis

Every Friday and Saturday evening you can enjoy a festive dinner with a view of the illuminated Acropolis until midnight (restaurant reservations by phone: 210 9000915). On the other days and times, you can combine your visit with coffee, dessert and the festive musical events on the ground floor of the Museum.

Gifts for the holidays

Before you leave the Museum, we are waiting for you in the shop on the ground floor where you will find the catalog of the exhibition “The ancient civilizations of Basilicata. Treasures that come to light”, available in Greek, English and Italian, as well as decorative items for your Christmas gifts. Among them is the Museum’s charm for 2025, inspired by the 6th c. B.C. found in the shrine of the Bride of Marriage. The ladder is perhaps associated with Aphrodite Urania, the patron goddess of marriage, or with the Athenian festival of the Adonis, and signifies the cycle of life.