Top Athens Events Now: Jumping Back into Culture

Lycabettus Resounds with Music

For decades, the theatre on Lycabettus hill stood as a landmark for the artistic life of Athens, hosting a plethora of noted concerts and performances, featuring both Greek and international artists. The ravages of time led to its closure in 2013, and it took an entire decade to complete its refurbishment, but now it’s back and ready to welcome performers from around the country and the world.

From this September, the historic theatre (now to be known as the Lycabettus Municipal Theatre) has already announced a concert schedule extending till the end of the month, following its grand inaugural celebration featuring Stavros Xarchakos (last Friday, 15/9). Some highlights: on September 19 and 20, acclaimed cellist Hauser will perform ‘Rebel with a Cello’, and on Monday 25 audiences will gather for a tribute to Greek songwriter Loukianos Kelaidonis.

Athens International Film Festival

For many years now, the month of September in Athens has become synonymous with “Premiere Nights,” essentially referring to the capital’s International Film Festival (AIFF). This year marks its 29th year, and as always, it promises to bring to Greece some of the most talked-about movies from the current cinematic season, including titles such as Céline Strong’s “Past Lives” and Nicolas Filibert’s documentary “Sur l’ Adamant“. The latter, a contentious recipient of the Golden Bear award in recent years, even spurred the French director to wonder, during his accolade acceptance, whether the judging panel of the famed Berlin institution consisted of madmen.

The festival is slated to commence on September 27 and will run until October 9, with screenings at various cinemas including “Danaos 1” & “Danaos 2”, “Ideal”, “Astor”, “Asty”, as well as at the Athens Concert Hall, the “Pallas” theatre, and the Piraeus Municipal Theatre. The full schedule for the 29th Athens International Film Festival will be disclosed on September 20.

Reworks Festival

Having established itself as one of the most noteworthy electronic music festivals across Europe, Thessaloniki’s Reworks Festival is making a comeback for its 19th edition, spanning from September 20-24. As usual, it is expected to attract a plethora of international attendees who will arrive to the capital of Macedonia to savour vibrant nights full of music. The festival will spotlight prominent acts like the highly anticipated GusGus, Bicep, Nicolas Jaar, Paul Kalkbrenner, and Maceo Plex, as well as local heroes Stereo Nova, who are set to grace the stage in Thessaloniki for the first time in 27 years.

“In the Shadows”: Works by ‘Hidden’ Women

Among the plethora of focal points in the visual arts this September is this grand, articulated exhibition curated by Christoforos Marinos & Kallis Petrocheilou. It will be inaugurated on September 26 at the Athens Municipal Gallery and is slated to run until 26th November. The exhibition’s goal is to enhance the visibility of female creators who contributed to Greek art in the 20th century, yet remained “in the shadows,” being largely unknown or forgotten today. In totality, viewers will get to see works by 120 painters and sculptors, having the opportunity to reintroduce themselves to significant figures like Thaleia Flora-Karavia, Sophia Laskaridou, or Celeste Polychroniadis.

Athens Coffee Festival

Since 2016, Athenians have been getting their caffeine fix in the most trendy, sophisticated and buzzily varied way at the Athens Coffee Festival, an open air event at Technopolis in Gazi featuring java brands from around the world. This year taking place of the weekend of September 23-25, the event will give participants the chance to taste top quality coffee from the most exotic locations around the planet and will include music, talks and presentations from top barristas. Tickets cost €5,00.

Next Stop, Kypseli

Theatre or guided tour? “Next Stop Kypseli” by the Anemomiloi Group is neither, but rather a clever cultural initiative situated somewhere in-between. After the spring and summer sold-out runs, it has already returned for a new season at the Kypseli Municipal Market, walking participants through this well-known neighbourhood of Athens, where various small and large stories that marked its past are recreated theatrically. The dramaturgy and research are penned by Christos Christopoulos, and the duration of the event is 80 minutes. At this juncture, it is expected to continue until the 14th of October.

Orfana

Greek speakers are treated to one of the most esteemed works of contemporary European drama as it returns for a second season to Theatre 104, under the direction of Konstantinos Markellou. Offering a poignant critique on the concepts of safety, toxicity, and the acceptance of the divergent, the play by writer Denis Kelly transports us to a degraded neighbourhood in London in the comp[any of Helen and Danny. The premiere is slated for September 23, with performances running until November 12.

Jo Nesbø in Athens

A significant event this September for book enthusiasts is the anticipated arrival of Jo Nesbø in our country on September 27. The Norwegian master of contemporary crime literature, who has garnered a fervent following from millions around the globe (boasting sales of 55 million copies), will engage with the Greek audience in a glittering event at the “Olympia” theatre. Here, he will converse with writer Dimitris Semo, under the patronage of the Norwegian Embassy, the “Metaichmio” publications, and the Municipality of Athens. Entry is free, but attendance requires acquiring tickets, which will be available at the Olympia box office on the day of the event from 18:00 onwards. A priority system will be in place.

Elaionas ’23

One of the grand visual art exhibitions of Athens in September, curated by Dimitris Trika, gathers the works of 41 artists in the Markoni area (where the “Elaionas” metro station is situated), a frontier between the Municipality of Athens and the Municipality of Aigaleo, where once stood an industrial zone. The spotlight is on creations with a chthonic character, initiating a dialogue with Elaionas’ past and present. Accompanying this, a rich programme including lectures, performances, and various other initiatives exploring the coexistence and, sometimes, the conflict between humans and nature. The exhibition opens its doors on September 29 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 14:30 – 20:30) and will run until December 3.