December has a way of slipping through our fingers. The most festive month of the year arrives full of anticipation, yet somehow the calendar fills before we’ve had time to choose what we truly want to do. To make things easier — and far more enjoyable — here is a carefully gathered selection of events worth weaving into your plans. Some celebrate the season, others simply offer beautiful moments in the city: cinema, concerts, theatre, exhibitions, performances and bright winter villages. Think of it as a list of moments you might not want to miss this month.

People take photographs near the illuminated Christmas tree during Christmas festivities in Athens, Greece, November 30, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

Christmas Performances for the Whole Family

Athens never runs out of stages, but December brings a special kind of magic to them. With the holidays approaching and school vacations in sight, the energy shifts: families slow down, children lean into the excitement, and classic tales find fresh life.

This year, young audiences have plenty to choose from. Timeless stories — The Nutcracker (Vembo Theater), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Embassy Theater), Alice in Wonderland (Olympia / Maria Callas Municipal Music Theatre), Isadora Duck (Greek National Opera), The Snow Kingdom (Athens Christmas Factory), Pinocchio’s Magical Christmas (Christmas Theater), Aladdin and the Magical Christmas (Megaron) — share the spotlight with contemporary narratives about friendship, acceptance and imagination.

For those who love shadow theatre, Karagiozis makes a heartfelt appearance too, with Karagiozis’ Christmas in Cuba (Megaron) and Karagiozis Rigoletto (GNO Alternative Stage at the SNFCC), keeping a beloved tradition alive for a new generation.

For a more detailed guide on Christmas performances for the whole family please go here.

Rod Stewart Live in Athens

Sixty-three years after the beginning of his career — and 56 years after releasing his debut album An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down — Sir Roderick David Stewart stands as one of rock’s undisputed legends. With more than 120 million records sold worldwide, he remains one of the best-selling artists of all time.

Rod Stewart Athens OAKA

Rod Stewart performs during the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, an annual event honouring military service members, which holds special significance in 2025 as it marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Britain, November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jack Taylor/Pool

On Saturday, 13 December, Rod Stewart performs in Greece for the very first time, taking the stage at the Telekom Center Athens as part of his global “One Last Time” tour. The setlist will feature a lifetime of hits: Baby Jane, Maggie May, Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright), Downtown Train, Have I Told You Lately, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Hot Legs, The First Cut Is the Deepest, and more.

Exploring Athens’ Christmas Villages and Parks

Since November, Athens has slowly dressed itself in lights. Scents of cinnamon and roasted treats drift through neighbourhoods, carols echo from squares, and little corners of the city take on a softer glow. Alongside all this, Christmas villages pop up in parks and cultural spaces, each offering a small escape from the familiar pace of daily life.

The Christmas Factory

Expansive and full of atmosphere, the Christmas Factory at Technopolis, gathers everything festive under one roof: ten interactive workshops, roaming elves, themed activities, a theatre stage, a fun park, food stalls and a bustling holiday market. It’s immersive, joyful and wonderfully detailed. (Admission requires a ticket.)

Pedion tou Areos Christmas Village

This year, Pedion tou Areos has transformed into a lively winter village — entirely free to enter. With its ice rink, carousel, workshops, Christmas market, food corners and forty wooden houses, it feels like a cheerful meeting point for all ages. Until 6 January, it also hosts concerts by the Hellenic Air Force Band, Nikos Portokaloglou, Panos Mouzourakis, Pantelis Thalassinos, Yiannis Zouganelis, Rena Morfi, Andriana Babali — and, on New Year’s Eve, Eleni Foureira.

Santa Claus Park at Marina Flisvos

From 2 December, the Marina Flisvos park welcomes families into a bright, playful setting filled with hand-painting, face-painting, shadow theatre, food corners, trampolines, bumper cars, a carousel and the Polar Express — a colourful ride through a festive landscape.

The SNFCC Christmas World

On 29 November, the SNFCC lit up its park and officially opened one of Athens’ most beloved holiday traditions. As every year, the ice rink on the canal invites skaters of all ages, and December unfolds with concerts, performances and community events. Highlights include Urgent Christmas, a warm story by “Syntechnia tou Geliou,” (21/12) and a musical evening (15/12) with El Sistema Greece joined by Spyros Grammenos, Penny Baltatzi, Sugahspank! and MC Yinka.

People walk at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center during Christmas festivities, in Athens, Greece, November 30, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ — In Athens Cinemas 

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and six parallel awards at the Venice Film Festival, The Voice of Hind Rajab is now screening in Athens. Director Kaouther Ben Hania’s devastating docudrama follows the true story of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, killed in Gaza in 2024 by the Israeli Defense Forces.

While traveling with her relatives, Rajab becomes trapped in a car that comes under attack. Surrounded by the bodies of her family, she remained on the phone for hours with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, desperately pleading for help. Ben Hania uses the real audio recording of Hind’s voice, shaping a reconstruction of the emergency-response efforts.

According to Deadline, the film received an unprecedented 23-minute standing ovation at Venice.

It is now playing at Cinobo Opera, Cinobo Parision, Mikrokosmos, Danaos, Aigli, Aello Cinemax, Kifissia Cinemax, Nana, Sporting Digital Cinema and more.

‘Giselle’ at the Greek National Opera

This December, the Greek National Opera Ballet revisits Giselle, one of the most cherished works of the romantic repertoire. Set to Adolphe Adam’s evocative score and staged in Marius Petipa’s iconic choreography — restaged by Verónica Villar and Elena Iglesias — the production opens on 19 December at the Stavros Niarchos Hall for nine performances.

Since its Paris premiere in 1841, Giselle has moved audiences with its story of fragile innocence, heartbreak and the healing strength of forgiveness — love that reaches beyond the world of the living.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience — Goudi Olympic Center

A global sensation with more than 12 million visitors worldwide, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience arrived in Athens in October and continues through January. Rather than a conventional exhibition, it’s a sweeping visual journey through the painter’s universe.

More than 3,000 works — from sketches to celebrated paintings — expand across huge screens and surfaces, turning the space into a luminous, moving landscape of colour. With 60 HD projectors shaping a floor-to-ceiling world, it feels less like observing Van Gogh’s art and more like stepping directly into it.

AthensCon 2025 — Tae Kwon Do Stadium, Palaio Faliro

Celebrating its 10th edition, AthensCon returns from 5 to 7 December, filling the Tae Kwon Do Stadium with comic art, fantasy worlds, gaming culture, cosplay, workshops and interactive installations. Rain or shine, devoted fans arrive in force — and so do major guests.

This year’s lineup includes Michael Ironside, Massimo Fecchi, Casper Van Dien, Yoshitaka Amano and Matt Ryan, among many others. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or simply curious, it’s an uplifting celebration of creativity and imagination.

From Monet to Warhol — B&E Goulandris Foundation

From 6 December 2025 to 11 April 2026, the B&E Goulandris Foundation presents From Monet to Warhol: Three Generations, One Collection — a sweeping look at the evolution of modern art through 83 masterworks by 45 artists.

The exhibition moves across more than twelve artistic movements, featuring Monet, Matisse, Degas, Gauguin, Chagall, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Lichtenstein, Magritte, Warhol and many others. Alongside the giants, visitors will also discover exceptional but lesser-known figures whose work quietly shaped their era.

Together, these pieces create a rare and generous window into the last 130 years of art history.

Vincent Dubois with the Athens State Orchestra — Megaron

Few organists command international admiration quite like Vincent Dubois, the renowned titular organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. On 12 December, he joins the Athens State Orchestra at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall to perform Jongen’s Symphonie Concertante — a work often described as the most dazzling organ-and-orchestra collaboration of the early 20th century. It promises to be an evening of grand, resonant beauty.

Pina Bausch’s Kontakthof — National Theatre of Greece

A milestone of contemporary dance returns to Athens. First seen here in 1988 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Kontakthof — one of Pina Bausch’s defining works — is revived by the National Theatre of Greece in collaboration with the Pina Bausch Foundation.

Opening 17 December, the production features 23 exceptional Greek performers aged 21 to 55, selected especially for this staging. Since its premiere in 1978, Kontakthof has travelled the world in many versions — starring teenagers, seniors and professional dancers — each group bringing new meaning to Bausch’s reflection on human contact and vulnerability.

©karol jarek

Viva Verdi — Opera Gala

Organised by the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens in cooperation with Olympia – Maria Callas Municipal Music Theatre and the La Scala Academy, Viva Verdi! celebrates one of opera’s greatest composers. The Academy’s soloists perform arias from Verdi’s most iconic works, accompanied by the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Pietro Mianiti.

The gala takes place on Friday, 12 December at 20:30 — a night designed for anyone who loves the grandeur and emotion of classic Italian opera.

The Meet Market Xmas — Old OSY Depot, Gazi

From 12 to 21 December, the Old OSY Depot fills with the warmth and creativity of The Meet Market Xmas Edition. Across ten days, more than 200 #MadeInGreece brands present design-focused clothing, handcrafted jewellery, home objects, natural beauty products, artisanal foods and thoughtful children’s items.

Entry is free, and the atmosphere is lively: workshops, art sessions, hands-on activities for kids and plenty of street food, specialty coffee, wine and local beer. It’s one of those events where you go in for “a quick look” and end up staying much longer — in the best way.

Golden Nights 2025

For the 12th year, the Hellenic Film Academy hosts Golden Nights, an initiative of the French César Academy that brings together standout short films selected by more than 30 national film academies. The result is a cinematic world tour — intimate, diverse and entirely free to attend.

This year, the four Iris-winning Greek shorts (fiction, documentary, animation and student film) join the international selection. Screenings take place on 8 and 9 December at Newman Cinema, with all films shown in their original language with Greek subtitles.