Athens Entertainment

Athens is a city that never sleeps, and it guarantees a lively nightlife as well as a happening cultural and arts scene, with no month of the calendar void of a festival or event. While the theatre, disco, bar and live music scene should be more than enough to keep any visitor content, entertainment also features in the form of restaurants and cinemas.

Nightlife

Known by many as a city that never sleeps, visitors to Athens can expect a wealth of nightlife options, with everything from bars to discos in action until the early hours as most Athenians do not venture out until gone midnight. Popular places for parties include the nearby beaches, while the centre of Athens has an abundance of stylish possibilities. Kolonaki has many bars and restaurants; Psyri, with its ancient charm, offers a more laid back scene with cosy watering holes and Thisio's has a lot of outdoor venues that are good for warming up before you head elsewhere.

Theatre and music

It is no surprise that the art of theatre is alive and well in Athens, with the city having started the tradition of theatre and having been the birth place of some of ancient Greece’s most prominent playwrights. Visitors have a choice of over 100 theatres, with everything from ancient Greek plays to contemporary English-language performances on offer. The National Theatre has one of the most varied programmes, while a performance at the 2,300-year old Epidaurus Theatre, near Athens, should not be missed.

Live music is easy to find in Athens, with many bars and nightspots hosting live musical performances every night of the week. The Half Note, the city's top jazz club, offers everything from classical to contemporary jazz music and will please anyone interested in any of the jazz genres. 

Festivals

Athens has a busy calendar of events, with something happening during most months of the year, ensuring visitors can catch a festival or an event of some variety. Highlights include:

• Agios Vasileios, also known as Protochronia, this festival is held on New Year’s Day and is a national holiday. Celebrating the New Year, many Athenians head to church in the morning before exchanging gifts in the afternoon. Vasilopita, a special cake, is baked and served and whoever gets the piece with a coin inside is guaranteed a year of good luck.
• Apokries is the time of carnival, with festivities continuing for the three weeks leading up to Lent. Expect parades, costume balls and other festivities.
• Athens Festival is held from mid-June to mid-September and is a popular event that combines modern and ancient theatre, ballet, opera, classical music and jazz. Performances are held around the city, including some on the slopes of the Acropolis.
• Ypsosis You Timiou Stavrou is held in mid-September. Commemorating the Exaltation of the True Cross, this is a major summer festival in Athens and a time of feasting.