World Car-Free Day Celebration on Athinas Street
The City of Athens will celebrate World Car-Free Day on Athinas Street for the first time with an open celebration organized by This is Athens – City Festival and Develop Athens. For 24 hours, from 8 p.m. on Saturday (September 21) to 8 p.m. on Sunday (September 22), “Car-Free Athinas Street” will be transformed into a motor vehicle-free zone.
Athens Mayor Haris Doukas emphasized: “On September 21 and 22, we will send a strong message from the heart of Athens: we want cities where cars do not dominate. We encourage people of all ages to use public transport and join this big symbolic celebration on Athinas Street. World Car-Free Day is a great prompt. To achieve climate neutrality in the coming years, Athens must follow the example of other European cities by promoting sustainable mobility, with an essential prerequisite being the improvement of public transportation.”
The CEO of Develop Athens, Ioannis Georgizas, adds: “For 24 hours, Athinas Street will serve as a ‘case study', a paradigm demonstrating how a bustling city street can be transformed into a car-free welcoming space for residents and visitors. The 'This is Athens-City Festival; will feature a model program of events designed to highlight the benefits of biking and scootering in a city we wish to keep sustainable.”
Residents and visitors can explore "Car-Free Athinas Street" and engage in over 20 events suitable for all ages. Activities will include educational programs with bicycles, traffic safety classes, music performances, midnight movie screenings, and various recreational activities. Bicycles, scooters, and rollers will take centre stage at the event, spanning from Ermou to Evripidou streets, just a short walk from Athens City Hall, and promoting "green" mobility.
Educational Activities and Music Events for All
The festivities will begin on Saturday evening at 8 pm with a group "Scooter Parade." For the first time, people of all ages will traverse Mitropoleos Street on bicycles, scooters, skates, or rollers from Syntagma to Athinas Street. The evening will continue with a lively street party featuring the music collective "Agia Fanfara," which will have attendees dancing to vibrant Balkan rhythms.
After midnight, Athinas Street, between Ermou and Evripidou, will be transformed into an outdoor cinema screening films "City Lights" and "Wings of Desire," accompanied by live classical music. Just before dawn, storyteller Taxiarchis Beligiannis will share stories for adults.
On Sunday morning, in honour of World Car-Free Day, the De Profundis Ensemble will perform renowned classical works, while City Councilor for Historical Promotion of Athens, Artemis Skoumbourdi, will provide a special guided tour narrating the history of the buildings on Athinas Street.
From 11 am to 5 pm, additional activities will include a traffic education workshop for children, bike workshops, bike art (painting with bicycles) for kids and adults, face painting, storytelling for children, interactive activities, and theatrical games centered on alternative transportation. Dinoverse, the beloved Kids Radio mascot, will entertain young visitors, and the Kids Radio Band will deliver a delightful live music program for children.
Throughout the day, DJs from local radio stations will provide a soundtrack to the celebration with their music. There will also be skate and roller workshops, as well as a ‘how slow can you go’ bike race where participants race without touching the ground with their feet.
The 24-hour event will conclude with a spectacular concert by Greek reggae veterans Locomondo, one of the most well-known and loved bands, in an unforgettable dance party.
