The Athens Street Food Festival, the festival that changed the gastronomic scene in Athens, had now become an institution for foodies,and is returning with this year's third edition this May.

The great success that Athens Street Food Festival witnessed in 2016 and 2017  (with 100,000 visitors) resulted in the concept of "street food" becoming more popular  and being embraced by even renowned chefs.

This year's most feelgood festival in Athens will present an even greater variety of cuisines where dozens of participants will suggest their own view of what "street food" is.

Like every year, Athens Street Food Festival promises new taste suggestions that will be discussed and will be loved by the public, with - pop-up stores exclusively for the festival and many surprises to be announced soon.

The 3rd Street Food Festival will take place this year during the first three days of May (4-5-6, 11-12-13, 18-19-20 May) in the area of ​​the OHS Depot. in Gazi.

Did you know that some of the most successful thoroughbreds in Greek horse-racing are Irish? In order to cheer them on, and to win a few bob, members and friends of the Greek-Irish Society will gather at the Markopoulou Racetrack on Saturday, 21 April, for the Hellas Horse Races Family Race Day.

The following free children's activities will run from 12 noon:

• Pony ridesHorse carriage rides
• Bouncy Castles
• Musical entertainment 

From 2pm, we will watch the races from the VIP bar and restaurant.

Admission is free, food can be bought at the track or you can bring your own, and the first drink will be free for GIS members. There will be special prizes for the most stylish hat and loudest shirt.

As space is limited, please let us know by 18 April if you plan to attend.

With Easter upon us, what a better way to celebrate it in Greece than with some great tips about the festive local traditions, recipies and a guide to some of the most beautiful churces in Athens. Learn all about them in this week's newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter!

The Central Archaeological Council of Greece (KAS) has recently approved a request by BBC to film part of a serialised adaptation of a John le Carre novel at the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The request had previously been denied.

Following pressure by the Greek government, which had also criticised the decision by the country’s archaeological council not to allow the BBC to film, KAS will allow filming to begin on April 12th, 2018.

Filming at Greek archaeological sites, whether for commercial productions or news reporting, requires a permit from archaeologists that is sometimes near impossible and very costly to obtain.

To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News

The selection process for the Special Scholarship established in honour of the Antetokounmpo brothers is complete and scholarships were awarded to two successful applicants! 

It was in June 2017, at a moving event held at the Onassis Cultural Centre Athens that Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, looking back at a difficult childhood and the obstacles they had faced starting out in life, dared to speak openly about important social issues like racism and the difficulties they had faced in their effort to acquire Greek citizenship. During the event, the Onassis Foundation joined forces with the brothers and announced the establishment of the Special Undergraduate Scholarship "One of a Kind" for the children of immigrants living in Greece – just like Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. 

As the Onassis Foundation Director of Culture, Ms Afroditi Panagiotakou, explained at the time: "The symbolic establishment of this scholarship serves a dual goal: to provide a kid, who either does not have Greek citizenship or who acquired it within the last five years, with the opportunity to study and make their dreams come true and to send out a message in favour of a more open civil society”.

Ultimately, the selection process produced not only one but two successful candidates: Katerina Ampntel Saient and Jacub Maciejewski, two students from Sepolia! Although the original intention was to award the scholarship to one high-school graduate, the Onassis Foundation, taking into consideration all the selection criteria, decided to award it to the two prevailing candidates: Katerina and Jacub. 

According to the terms and conditions of the scholarship eligible candidates must be graduates of Greek public General and Vocational High Schools in the 4th municipal district of Athens – the same area where Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo started out on their unique journey and endeavours. And even though Katerina and Jacub may not share the same talent for basketball, they know what they love in life, they have dreams, and they have shown through their academic success that they have the 'superpowers' they need to make those dreams come true.

Excited with the results of the scholarship, Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo wanted to congratulate the two winners through the Onassis Foundation announcement. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo stated: "I would like to congratulate Katerina and Jacub; may they achieve everything they dream of. Above all else, may they make the most of the opportunity they have been given, keep up their hard work, and reveal their superpowers to the world. Sport is a wonderful path to follow, but I believe education can open up even more possibilities. Which is why I am happy and proud that two young people will have the chance to do something I could not—go to university—and have the Onassis Foundation at their side while they do it. The scholarship established in our honour will ensure they have the peace of mind they need to succeed. I would like to also thank the Onassis Foundation for giving us the chance to join forces for this good cause". 

For his part, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who had the chance to meet the two scholars in person, declared: "As I said after the event at the OCC in June, this is an outstanding initiative, because it gives the children of immigrants, children like us, the chance to move forward and make progress towards achieving their goals. I would like to send my congratulations to Katerina and to Jacub along with a message to all the kids who have, for whatever reason, had a difficult start in life: don't give up! Find your superpowers within and believe in your dream."

On the basis of their performance in the Higher Education Entrance Exams, Katerina Ampntel Saient, who is of Egyptian descent, was admitted at the department of Russian Language and Literature & Slavic Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Jacub Maciejewski, who is of Polish descent, was admitted at the Department of Information Technology of the same University. Despite having had a difficult start in life, thanks to their passion, commitment, ethics and, of course, hard work, they managed to stay focused on their goal and get admitted into university. The Onassis Foundation will be at their side throughout their undergraduate careers, helping them through the "One of a Kind" scholarship to make their dreams come true and reach as high as they can go. 

It wasn't just the Antetokounmpo brothers' success that inspired our collaboration, it was also the qualities the two Greek athletes embody: modesty, competitiveness, passion and a willingness to work hard. 

Watch the animated video HERE and take a journey into the world of this "one of a kind" scholarship!

For more information on the "One of a Kind" Scholarship, please visit: Onassis Foundation

The Acropolis Museum started in 2015 a series of temporary exhibitions displaying important ancient artifacts, deriving from significant archaeological sites of the Greek periphery. The Museum’s goal is to present unusual subjects that will intrigue the current visitor and at the same time urge him to visit the places the exhibits originated from.The Acropolis Museum started in 2015 a series of temporary exhibitions displaying important ancient artifacts, deriving from significant archaeological sites of the Greek periphery.

The Museum’s goal is to present unusual subjects that will intrigue the current visitor and at the same time urge him to visit the places the exhibits originated from.

After “Samothrace. The mysteries of the great gods” and “Dodona. The oracle of sounds”, the third exhibition of the series concerns Eleusis and the great mysteries. Eleusis (Greek: Elefsina) is a town and municipality in West Attica, Greece. It is situated about 18 kilometres (11 miles) northwest from the centre of Athens. It is located in the Thriasian Plain, at the northernmost end of the Saronic Gulf.

The exhibition presents the most important artifacts brought to light by the archaeological excavation in Eleusis, such as the unique statue of the “Fleeing Persephone” (around 480 BC), the votive relief depicting Demeter and Kore (Persephone)(470-450 BC) and ceremonial vessels, such as kernos, plemochoe and thymiaterion, as well as monuments depicting the leading figures of the great mysteries, Hierophant and Dadouchos.

The exhibition includes archaeological findings from the Athenian Eleusinion and the Sacred Way, as the religious procession started from Athens with a host of Initiates and candidates for initiation and ended up in the Eleusis Telesterion. For this reason, a votive relief from the area of Eleusinion and distinctive findings from the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, which is located next to the Sacred Way at the area of Daphne, are on display before the entrance to the exhibition.

The exhibition gallery has the form of the Eleusinian Telesterion including a small-scale version of the dark Anaktoron where visitors can watch a 15-minute video presentation with aerial photographs of the Sacred Way, representations, models, the archaeological site of Eleusis and many emblematic exhibits.

The exhibition is conducted with the collaboration of the Acropolis Museum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica. The exhibits are on a loan from the Archaeological Museum of Eleusis and the National Archaeological Museum.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Bank of Greece, the Centre for Culture, Research and Documentation of the Bank presents an exhibition of 160 artworks by notable Greek artists, selected from its Collection. The Bank’s Collection comprises nearly 3,000 pieces, mostly figurative paintings and prints (in addition to a small number of sculptures) from the mid-19th century to this day, which highlight various aspects of modern Greek art.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Bank of Greece, the Centre for Culture, Research and Documentation of the Bank presents an exhibition of 160 artworks by notable Greek artists, selected from its Collection. The Bank’s Collection comprises nearly 3,000 pieces, mostly figurative paintings and prints (in addition to a small number of sculptures) from the mid-19th century to this day, which highlight various aspects of modern Greek art.Structured around the main themes that have been and, to this day, remain sources of inspiration for lasting ideas in modern Greek art, the exhibition unfolds along three broad narrative lines: antiquity, everyday life and the landscape, all central axes in modern Greek art.

A common thread through this exhibition is the Greek artists’ long-lasting interest in these themes, which have served as frames of reference for their creative expression, the development of their personal artistic idiom and – often –  the highlighting of the notion of ‘Greekness’.

The works on display lend themselves to multi-layered readings, fruitful comparisons and interpretationsof the ways each theme has advanced changing intentions and objectives – artistic, ideological, social – bringing forward respective ideas to Greek society during each era. In this light, the Collection itself can be approached as a ‘frame of reference’ for a body of artworks that attempts to unveil and, over time, articulate various facets of Greek cultural identity.


OPENING HOURS:
Thursday & Sunday, 10:00 -18:00 
Friday & Satuday 10:00 - 22:00

Have you ever come across the endless gardens of the Agricultural University of Athens? Do the visual arts have a role to play in academic life? Can you imagine Athens as a ‘green’ city? The Onassis Cultural Centre in a project curated by locus athens aims to reintroduce the Agricultural University to Athenians, inviting them to discover one of the country’s first academic institutions as a relevant and necessary oasis within the urban landscape.

Soil, food, seeds, eco-systems will be some of the vital bi-products of research into the primary materials on hand. Academic knowledge, technological methodologies, agricultural practices will be understood through the prism of contemporary art.ave you ever come across the endless gardens of the Agricultural University of Athens? Do the visual arts have a role to play in academic life? Can you imagine Athens as a ‘green’ city?

The Onassis Cultural Centre in a project curated by locus athens aims to reintroduce the Agricultural University to Athenians, inviting them to discover one of the country’s first academic institutions as a relevant and necessary oasis within the urban landscape. Soil, food, seeds, eco-systems will be some of the vital bi-products of research into the primary materials on hand. Academic knowledge, technological methodologies, agricultural practices will be understood through the prism of contemporary art.

Geometries will be a dense three-month cycle of sowing and reaping, activating different layers and locations of academic life, and an open invitation for a walk through the University’s gardens. An exhibition, with new productions, contemporary and historical works, will provide the framework for a public programme with seven Sundays dedicated to our environment: a procession honoring urban rivers, a rowing competition and an open-air cinema with a film programme dedicated to the issues raised by climate change. The exhibition unfolds in the Agricultural Museum, in the University’s central building and the extensive gardens of the Agricultural University of Athens.

The public programme is divided into 7 themes – salt, fire, gardens, seeds, water, earth and air – within which numerous events will take place: workshops, cooking sessions, food, talks, recordings, performances, walks and readings amongst other things. Throughout the public programme Athenians will be invited to discover known and lesser known aspects of the University – the vineyard, the orchard, the botanical gardens, whilst becoming living participants in the University’s constantly evolving history, from Ottoman times till now.

Visitors will have the chance to learn alternative farming practices, discover hands on the philosophy of building from earth, meditate on the history of stones, discover new ways of communing food, gain insights into the history of man’s own evolution set off by the agricultural revolution, focus on climate change as well as be immersed in many more vital facets of our natural world.

Dates and opening hours:

During Easter holidays the exhibition will be closed from Thursday 5/4 until Sunday 8/4.

Thur-Fri 17:00-21:00
Sat-Sun 12:00-21:00

An educational programme run by the Onassis Foundation helps children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) familiarize themselves with the procedures involved in air travel. 

Have you ever wondered how easy or difficult it is for a child with autism to cope with the various procedures involved in travelling by air? What about having to process the multitude of sensory stimuli with which they are bombarded in an airport feels like? Do you know how you could help if you found yourself next to a child or adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder and they reacted in an intense and unexpected way brought on by airport-related stress?

For a child or adult with ASD, air travel isn't always about recreation or relaxation, as both children and adults are often required to travel long distances for crucial treatment. Unfortunately, the stressful nature of air travel (the electronic arrivals and departures boards, the noise, the constant movement from one place to another, the waiting and delays, the take-off and landing procedures, possible in-flight turbulence etc.) very often mean these vital trips cannot be made. It is no surprise that parents of children with ASD are hesitant about choosing to travel by air. The fact that roughly 1 in 68 children in the general population are currently diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum makes this an issue that impacts on a lot of people. Indeed, given that our approach to autism is both a reflection of our culture and our education as individuals, it is ultimately relevant to us all.

Intent on enabling children with ASD to spread their wings and prepare to fly, the Onassis Foundation has created an innovative educational programme, "Boarding Pass to Autism", which consists of the following elements:

1) an air procedures simulation for children with autism

2) an educational resource for therapists and parents of children with ASD which consists of social stories

3) a training course delivered to staff at Athens International Airport

4) a leaflet created to raise air travellers' awareness of autism.

The educational programme was created by the Onassis Foundation in association with Athens International Airport under the academic aegis of Athens University and with the generous support of AEGEAN. The programme's two academic leads are Dr Aggeliki Gena, a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Athens University, and Dr Katingo Hadjipateras-Giannoulis, a Clinical Psychologist

Affiliate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

The programme was presented in detail at a scheduled Press Conference held in the Media Centre at Athens International Airport on Thursday 29 March 2018.

It all started with an open call for participation issued by the Onassis Foundation. The call brought together a group of children who, along with their therapists and parents, set about preparing themselves for air travel by means of an integrated desensitization programme. The programme will culminate on Monday 2 April, World Autism Awareness Day, with the children visiting Athens International Airport, along with their parents and therapists, for an air procedures simulation. The simulation will begin at the entrance to the Departure terminal and include all the stages involved in preparing to fly. The 30 or so participants will end up aboard an AEGEAN aeroplane where everyone—children, parents and therapists—will follow the prescribed procedures and safety instructions that precede take-off. The air procedures simulation gives children and teenagers with autism and their families an opportunity to familiarize and prepare themselves for the various procedures involved in air travel (the security and baggage check etc.) and with the multiple stimuli (from the electronic departure and arrivals boards to public announcements and airport signage). However, the April 2 simulation marks a beginning not an end as the innovative handbook we created for the programme will continue to provide parents and therapists of children with autism with a unique educational resource in the years to come.

The "Boarding Pass to Autism" programme also included the creation of an innovative educational handbook consisting of social stories (Gray, 1991) which could become an important tool in the hands of therapists and parents around Greece. The stories were created by the Onassis Foundation under the academic aegis of Athens University.

They are short predominantly visual stories which present specific scenarios to enable people with autism develop and improve their social understanding. They depict descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

Using photographs and/or other visual information, Social Stories help improve the behaviour of children by making novel social situations more manageable and predictable. This in turn will enable them to confront challenging social situations and will reduce any potential anxiety and stress.Using photographs and/or other visual information, Social Stories help improve the behaviour of children by making novel social situations more manageable and predictable. This in turn will enable them to confront challenging social situations and will reduce any potential anxiety and stress.

The programme also included training for both Athens International Airport (via the various service providers) and AEGEAN staff in autism-related issues and the obstacles autism can create for children with ASD and their parents, particularly in the airport. A seminar was run on four occasions, allowing 200 members of staff whose positions put them in direct daily contact with travellers at "Eleftherios Venizelos" to receive special training. At the seminars, Ms Gena and her associates informed the staff about autism and its specific features. The participants were briefed on the signs that can help them recognize travellers with ASD, and received useful advice on how to identify and deal with ASD-related challenges in the future.

The final element of the '"Boarding pass to autism" educational programme is another innovation: the creation of an informational booklet for all travellers. The booklet, which you can find at Athens International Airport (AIA) and in electronic form on the official sites of both the Onassis Foundation and the AIA, provides information on autism and on the obstacles faced by children with ASD. It also provides information on the ways in which you yourself could help make air travel easier for autistic children both in the airport and aboard their flight. The initiative seeks to release the potential of these children while raising public awareness of ASD.

Celebrate Greek Easter this year at the Athenaeum InterContinental Athens! Here is what's on the menu for this major Greek holiday.

THE CONTEMPORARY CAFEZOE

*Unlimited consumption of buffet delicacies, refreshments, beers & house wine. Red Easter eggs & Easter sweet breads are offered.

On Easter Sunday, enjoy the traditional cooking of our lamb on a spit, while live music and songs elevate the mood.

Easter Sunday, April 8, 12:30 – 16:00 49,50€* / person

*Unlimited consumption of buffet delicacies & ouzo welcome drink. Red Easter eggs & Easter sweet breads are offered.

Enjoy cookies, Easter sweet breads and chocolate eggs at Café Vienna and as you leave, shop from us, delicious Easter gifts for you and your loved ones!

Traditional Cookies €10 / 750 gr

Chocolate Eggs €17 / item

Easter Sweet Breads €13 / item