The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) is one of the most impressive infrastructure projects in Greece, designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano, with the aim of promoting culture, education, entertainment and sustainability. The SNFCC includes the National Opera House where it hosts operas, ballets and contemporary music productions. It has an excellent technological infrastructure, making it one of the most modern lyrical stages in the world. It also houses the National Library of Greece, which includes book collections, a digital archive and study areas, designed to serve as a center of knowledge and education for the public of all ages. There is also the Stavros Niarchos Park, a large 210-acre open space combining natural landscape and modern design. It includes trails, sports areas, playgrounds, outdoor art facilities and recreational areas.
On Sunday 2 March, the Stavros Niarchos Park will be transformed into a living celebration! A unique opportunity to escape from everyday life, to let our imagination run wild and discover magical worlds. Live music, percussion parades, DJ sets, creative workshops for young and old, masquerades, endless fun, games and dancing promise a Sunday full of joy and carefree fun! Entrance is free.
Location : Xefoto
Also, this Halloween Sunday, Stavros Niarchos Park is transformed into a colourful world inspired by birds! We become ornithological artists and experience the magic of flying.
Inspired by the unique characteristics of different birds, we create imaginative masks with an abstract mood. We paint eagle beaks, make spectacular wings of birds of paradise and decorate our heads with the plumes of chalapeños, ready to dance at the carnival! Free admission on a first-come, first-served basis for children ages 5 and up.
Location : Pefkonas
Design & implementation: Maro Michalakakou, visual artist
Action support: Dimitris Getsis, visual artist.
📅 Sunday 2 March 2025
🕦 11:30 - 14:30
In addition, on Halloween Sunday, the Stavros Niarchos Park is filled with colours, imagination and happy children's expressions! Children's faces are transformed through imaginative designs and vivid shades, creating a festive atmosphere full of magic. Free admission on a first-come, first-served basis for children of all ages.
Location : Park Kiosk
Design & Implementation : Moutzoures
📅 Sunday 2 March 2025
🕚 11:00 - 15:00
The SNFCC celebrates Koulouma with songs and dances from every corner of Hellenism! On Monday 3 March, we welcome Lent and Spring with a great traditional celebration.
From 12:00 to 15:00, Professor of Ethnomusicology Lambros Liavas will curate and present, at Xefoto, a unique music and dance panorama, inviting everyone to participate in the ritual of traditional feasting.
Familiar as few others with the Greek musical tradition, Lambros Liavas, through his academic studies and his numerous travels, takes us on a journey to a world full of rhythm and movement. Carnival mimic dances are united with kalamatiana, kagellas and tsamika, Macedonian syrtas, Thracian zonaradika, Polite hashapika, Smyrnaic karsilamades, Cretan pentozalias and island balls, creating an unforgettable feast! Entrance is free.
Location : Xefoto
On Carnival Monday, the SNFCC's Agora is transformed into an open canvas of creativity! In a large collective work on paper of measure, we draw inspiration from the dynamic compositions of Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, where kites float over cities and villages, symbols of freedom and renewal.
Through collaboration and free expression, parents and children will create their own colourful "narrative", marrying elements of Greek tradition with contemporary artistic approaches. As the works come together, they will form a unique "bird's eye view" of the celebration, as if we are seeing the city through the flying of a kite. Admission is free, for children 4 years and older and their chaperones.
Design : Michalitsa Kozakopoulou, visual artist-educator
Implementation : Doritina Fountoulaki, visual artist-ceramist | Eleanna Balesi, visual artist
📅 Monday 3 March 2025
🕚 11:00 - 16:00
With more than one million books and periodicals, as well as an exceptional collection of rare manuscript codices from the 9th to the 19th century, the National Library of Greece is the repository of Greek literature and a bridge that connects the past, the present and the future. With its relocation to the modern facilities of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, the National Library is being reorganised and is entering the digital age. In its new role, it is emerging as a place of study, research and education, offering a platform for the development of new ideas and open access to knowledge. For the first time, it has a Lending Department with special collections for children, teenagers and adults, while hosting a wide range of educational and interactive programmes, strengthening its relationship with the general public.
The 2024/25 season will kick off with a major international co-production, in collaboration with the renowned Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival and the Paris National Opera. The project involves the presentation, in one evening, of Gluck's two operas based on the ancient Greek myth of the Atreides: Iphigenia en Avlidis and Iphigenia in Tauris, directed by the distinguished Russian creator Dmitry Chernyakov.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) welcomes students of all grades! Visit the SNFCC to participate in a variety of educational programs, anniversary activities and fun explorations, while you can combine your school walk with recreational activities. In addition, you have the possibility to follow the digital programmes through the special SNFCC Class platform. Bookings for the activities of the new school year can be made online. All programmes are designed, implemented and offered free of charge, thanks to the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
A large 210-acre open space combining natural landscape and modern design. It includes trails, sports areas, playgrounds, outdoor art installations and recreational areas. It lends itself to activities such as biking, hiking, and cultural events.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) offers a variety of activities for children, designed to encourage creativity, learning and entertainment in a safe and friendly environment. The activities are aimed at different ages and combine art, sports and education :
Art and Craft Workshops,
Science Workshops,
Robotics and Technology,
Literature:,
Gymnastics and Games,
Cycling and Sports,
Theatrical Performances,
Music Workshops,
Outdoor Events,
Digital Programmes, through the SNFCC Class platform, children can participate in educational activities and workshops from home, using digital tools.
Backpacks for families: The great exploration at the SNFCC begins! Kids and adults are invited to discover the SNFCC and the Stavros Niarchos Park through two themed backpacks, filled with creative activities and fun games for the whole family.
Playgrounds & Water Jets : The Playgrounds in Stavros Niarchos Park are one of the most lively and cheerful parts of the park, making it an ideal meeting point for children. The space has been designed in a sustainable way, completely environmentally friendly, and features wooden instruments made from wood from sustainable forestry. Wood, consciously chosen as a material, is differentiated from metal or plastic, offering a natural feel that activates children's senses, enhances their desire to play and enriches their experience. Near the Playgrounds, the impressive Water Jets await children for endless water play, adding another fun dimension to their experience.
Music Garden : The Music Garden is a specially designed play area, designed to bring children in contact with the sounds and language of music, while at the same time allowing them to discover the musical sound of the sea. Through interactive activities, children can play music with the metallophone or dance keys and create their own compositions on the sound baton. The musical toys and other structures in the Garden, such as the parabolic discs and the spinning stone, offer visitors the opportunity to experiment and explore their creativity.
Summer Camp Activities : The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) organizes activities for Summer Camps and invites the city's summer campers to participate in a variety of recreational, educational and sports activities that take place during the summer.
Eugenides Foundation. Planetarium, Digital Planetarium
Gaidourochora
National Archaeological Museum
Benaki Museum
Museum of Experiments
Paramythochorio
Greek Museum of Informatics in Moschato
Museum of Greek Children's Art
