SNFCC’s Christmas World
Turning into a very special Christmas destination for this year’s holiday season, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center invites people of all ages to experience the holiday spirit, with a rich and varied program inspired by the season’s magic! The ice rink at the Canal and the Christmas lighting set the stage for unforgettable holiday events for the whole family. Discover the secrets of the Park and find out how you can interact with the holiday lights!
Music abounds in SNFCC’s Christmas World! A number of concerts are taking place, starting with the Simon Bolivar Trumpet Ensemble on 14/12, presenting exciting pieces from its repertoire, and, a few days later, on 17/12, the same orchestra, along with the young musicians of El Sistema Greece, perform music by Mozart, Verdi, Morricone, and a host of other composers. On 18 and 19/12, Greek National Opera’s Stavros Niarchos Hall is hosting a panoramic survey of music from the films of Harry Potter, our favorite sorcerer. Furthermore, cross-cultural children's choir Polyphonica, mixed adult choir Musica,and Camerata Junior string orchestra are giving a concert on 23/12 at the Lighthouse, beaming us to different parts of the world. On 29/12, just before the curtain drops for 2017, the multifarious drummer Sera Bellos and the exuberant British frontman Bradley White Dale perform select songs by great artists. Finally, shortly before the end of the holiday season, Gumbo Ya Ya and Sugahspank! enrapture us all at the Lighthouse!
During the holiday season, Dionysis Savvopoulostells the classic Christmas fairy tale Iron John in his own special way and his characteristic warm voice, enchanting young and old alike!
Movie-going is an integral part of the holiday season, and the Stavros Niarchos Hall is steeped in Christmas atmosphere, with screenings of timeless films for the whole family. Our beloved nanny Mary Poppins, enchanting Snow White, perennial child Peter Pan, Cinderella, the Von Trapp family from The Sound of Music– theyare all here to remind us why we just love Christmas!
At SNFCC, we welcome the New Year with optimism and joy! The party starts early in the morning on New Year’s Eve, and fireworks will set the sky ablaze to help usher in 2018. The first race for the New Year, SNF RUN: 2018 First Run, 4K, comes right next.
After that, we all have fun together at a unique party, with an internationally renowned guest DJ – Gilles Peterson!
A variety of Christmas and New Year related events and workshops are part of SNFCC’s Christmas World. Join us to make our own Christmas decorations and trees; have a family picnic with Santa; print personalized greeting cards; dance under the disco ball; learn how the Christmas tree blinks, and – why not – knit and embroider together with our grandmothers or fathers! All SNFCC food points will be serving festive delicacies, and our shop joins in the festive mood, with gift suggestions for all.
It’s a time of the year when we all take a break from our everyday lives – Parabases, SNFCC’s series of rehearsed readings, and SNF Dialogues are perfect for the occasion. Professor Vassilis Kalfas's lecture series concludes this month, with the pre-Socratic philosophers Parmenides, Democritus, and Gorgias.
To mark the International Day of People with Disability (03/12), SNFCC hosts the performance On Display Global, in collaboration with the Heidi Latsky Dance Company and the United Nations.
SNFCC’s outdoor activities naturally continue, and many new ones are added! Once again in December, admission to all SNFCC sports, educational, and cultural events is free of charge thanks to the exclusive grant of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Read the full schedule of December events here.
Information about your visit
Summer opening hours (1 April to 31 October): Stavros Niarchos Park, Running Track, Agora, Lighthouse 06.00–00.00, Visitors Center 09.00-22.00
There are four food venues at the Agora, in the Visitors Center with a view to the Canal, in the Lighthouse and at the Park. Mobile food carts will also be available in outdoor areas.
Pets can enter all SNFCC’s outdoor areas, except the Great Lawn, the Labyrinth and the playgrounds. They should always be accompanied by their guardian, who must keep them under direct and constant supervision and clean up after them.
SNFCC has earned the Platinum LEED certification as a green building, the highest distinction for environmental and sustainable buildings. LEED certification verifies that a building was designed and constructed following rigorous principles of sustainable construction and environmentally innovative practices that focus, among other metrics, on water and energy efficiency, reduction of CO2 emissions, indoor environmental quality and the rational management of resources. SNFCC is the first cultural project of such scale to earn the LEED Platinum Certification in Europe.
For information about how to get to the SNFCC click here. For information about accessibility click here.
