Millions of people around the world switched off their lights on Saturday evening in a show of solidarity for the planet, marking Earth Hour 2026, the annual WWF initiative now in its second decade.
From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., landmarks, homes and businesses across more than 80 countries fell dark for sixty minutes in a symbolic gesture of awareness about global warming.
In Athens, the moment produced a striking and almost otherworldly scene. The Panathenaic Stadium and the Acropolis — two of the city’s most iconic monuments — were plunged into darkness, offering passersby and tourists an unfamiliar and arresting view of the Greek capital. Drone footage captured by the Orange Press Agency showed the ancient citadel silhouetted against the night sky, stripped of its usual illumination.
Seconds after 8:30 p.m., as the lights began to fade at the Panathenaic Stadium, children’s voices rang out in excitement. In a coordinated display, 150 members of the Greek Girl Guides lit lanterns and torches in sequence, forming the number “60” — a reference to the sixty minutes of the blackout — against the backdrop of the darkened Acropolis.
According to WWF, Earth Hour has for two decades united citizens, politicians, institutions and businesses in a shared act of environmental commitment. “These 60 minutes of darkness are a powerful reminder that nature and climate are intertwined, and that protecting our common home is an urgent necessity,” the organization said.
