Athens is counting down and setting the date for the most festive welcome of the new year. On New Years Eve, the City of Athens will welcome 2026 with a dazzling celebration full of music, dance, and many surprises at Syntagma Square.
The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, stated:
Let us welcome 2026 together in the heart of the city. We change the year at Syntagma with Kostis Maraveyas, Rena Morfi, Nikos Moutsinas, and Tonia Sotiropoulou. As last year, we will have silent fireworks, respecting the environment, people sensitive to sound, and animals. I invite you to experience unique moments with beloved artists, enjoy an impressive drone show, and welcome the new year with optimism and smiles.
At 22:00, the Athens City Philharmonic Orchestra opens the evening
The event begins at 22:00 with melodies by the Athens City Philharmonic Orchestra. Then, Kostis Maraveyas will take us on a musical journey through beloved songs and original arrangements, with his distinctive colorful and joyful Mediterranean style that combines art-pop, Balkan, and Latin American sounds. Rena Morfi will captivate the audience with her velvety voice and explosive stage presence, through a program that blends her personal repertoire, iconic folk songs, and unexpected covers. The presentation of the magical evening will be led by Nikos Moutsinas and Tonia Sotiropoulou, keeping the rhythm going into the first hours of the new year.
In the final minutes of 2025, the sky of Athens will transform into a spectacular stage of light with the largest drone show ever presented in the city. Then, the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, together with the hosts and artists, will give the signal for the countdown to the change of the year.
We will welcome 2026 with silent, environmentally friendly fireworks of high aesthetic value, featuring impressive luminous colors and unique artistic formations.
The entire event will be broadcast via livestream on the official City of Athens Facebook page (@cityofathensofficial) and its official YouTube channel (@cityofathens.youtube). Simultaneous interpretation of the entire event into Greek Sign Language will be provided by interpreter Sofia Roboli, so that no one misses the magic of the evening.
From the heart of the city, Athens welcomes 2026 with a grand party, offering everyone a magical beginning to the new year.
The City of Athens warmly thanks the Hotel Grande Bretagne for the impressive Christmas tree set up in Syntagma Square and its decoration, as well as Protergia, an integral member of METLEN, for the aerial decorations on Ermou Street and the Christmas nativity scene in Mitropoleos Square.
