On Friday October the 5th, Athens Culture Net invites you to wander around the city from sunset till late at night. Discover events and surprise activities all to do with art and narration. Take part in a crime literature workshop at a Kolonaki bookshop, while at the Puskin Institute learn in central Athens you can learn all about the Russian language.


2) ΦantastiCon 2018

On the 6th and 7th of October, ΦantastiCon invites you to a two-day festival at the Hellenic-American Union. All sorts of creatures will transform the place into a forest, while elves and unicorns will meet brave warriors and wizards. The person of honour will be the writer, poet and actor Makis Panorios. The event will last from 11:00 to 21:30.

“2018 Meet Greece Music Journey” started its fourth-year project since 26th September this year, as the annual project of Meet Culture, a leading culture organization which has been focusing on the culture exchange between Greece and China.

A cultural group from China consisting of the two famous Chinese musicians Chang Jing and Zhang Di and the well-known travel blogger and producer Miao Bin, is embarking on a unique cultural journey in Greece, who will travel to Athens, Crete, Nafplio and Epidaurus to explore the ancient beauty of Greece through music and culture.

The “Meet Greece Music Journey” is aiming at deepening the mutual understanding between Greece and China through the means of travel, art and music. Being the fourth year of this project, “2018 Meet Greece Music Journey” is honored to invite the virtuoso Chinese musician Chang Jing, who is also the cultural ambassador between China and Greece and solo performer of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, together with Chinese flute master Zhang Di.

During their journey in Greece, they will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves with genuine Greek culture and art through various events and exchanges.

In Athens, they are honored to be invited by Ms Marina Kotsamani, the Associate Professor from University of Peloponnese, to participate in Cultural Capital of Books 2018 in Athens and visit the exhibition of Heinrich Schleimann and Antonis in Gennadius Library. They are also invited by the Vice Mayor of Athens to visit the city hall, to get to know better about the city.

Moreover, they will participate in an ancient Greek music workshop by the Ancient Greek Lyre musician Aliki Markantonadou, singer Athena Chioti and the flute musician Pan Kaperneka, which will give them the deeper insight on the Greek music. They will also have an Ancient Greek Instrument Workshop by the well-known Greek instrument maker Nikolaos Bras. As the international supporter of Hermes project in University of Athens, the group will visit the project to share the achievements. They will also watch an ancient Greek drama “Persian” to get their precious experience.

In Crete, they will have the opportunity to meet Cretan Lyre master Ross Daly in Houdetsi, and organize a concert “China Meets Crete” for the Chinese musicians and Ross Daly at Basilica of Saint Mark in Heraklion, which is supported by the Municipality of Heraklion. They will also visit Knossos to learn more about the Minoan civilizaiton.

In Nafplio, they will collaborate with the Department of Theatre Studies of University of Peloponnese to organize a cultural event named “When Chinese Music Meets Greek Theatre”. Furthermore, they will also visit ancient Mycenae and the theater of Epidaurus accompanied by the professors.

Since 2014, Meet Culture has successfully done quite many cultural exchange projects between the two civilizations, and the annual project “Meet Greece Music Journey” has combined music and tourism to create a new efficient model. As we know, Greece still remains mysterious for most of the Chinese people, who should learn more about the ancient civilization in the West.

The Music Journey has been proven on the significant influence on the facilitating the mutual understanding between the people in both countries, and more projects and ideas have been generated from the Music Journeys. More and more Greek and Chinese partners have joined in the Music Journey organized by Meet Culture.

“Navarino Challenge”, which will be held for the 6^th consecutive year in Messinia and Costa Navarino in October 12-14, 2018, presented its activities and ambassadors for this year.

The award-winning sports tourism event continues to innovate in the global sports tourism market by creating new tourist audiences and contributing to the development of Greece as a prime Sports Tourism Destination. Sports tourism is no longer just a growing form of tourism but has triggered a new revolution in the sector globally, generating between 12 and 15 million annual arrivals per year; the average revenue from Sports Tourism in each country is estimated at 25% over all tourism, reaching in some cases 55%!

 

The press conference for the recently awarded “Top Tourism Event” in Greece, was held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, with the presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Mr. George Vassiliadis, the President of the Greek National Tourism Organization Mr. Charalampos Karimalis and the Greek-American ultramarathon, Dean Karnazes, who is participating for the 6^th consecutive year in the event as its ambassador in Greece and abroad.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports, Mr. George Vassiliadis, in his greeting remarked: “Navarino Challenge, following its successful course for the 6^th consecutive year in Messinia, has now become a tradition. For one more year many famous and renowned professional athletes are expected to participate in this major sports fest, but what I would like to highlight is the massive presence of amateur athletes and stress the importance of thriving events that promote this form of sport. At the same time, it is extremely encouraging that Navarino Challenge is a model event of sports tourism, an example that should be followed by others in a country like Greece that has all the prerequisites for economic growth by the flourishing of this kind of tourism”.

 

The President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Mr. Charalampos Karimalis, said: “The Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Minister Mrs. Kountoura and the Greek National Tourism Organization support important initiatives that attract the global sporting interest. Navarino Challenge is such an initiative. Because it establishes our country as the most attractive and safe destination, offering authentic thematic tourism experiences, 365 days a year, and is proven to benefit both the national economy and local societies and economies”.

Consequently the ultramarathon Dean Karnazes highlighted: “When I travel the world, I am the ambassador of Greece and its greatness to the rest of the world. Everyone is absorbed in everyday activities and sometimes we do not see the magic we have here. But running in Messinia, the islands, anywhere in Greece makes you feel alive. There is something in the air, in the landscape, a special magic that you cannot find elsewhere on earth. My mission is to travel the world and encourage more people to come and experience this magic. Navarino Challenge is the way to do that. It is the 6^th event and I could not be more proud!”.

On behalf of the organization, TEMES Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stefanos Theodorides, said: “We are delighted to organize for the 6^th consecutive year Navarino Challenge, a great celebration of sports andan annual meeting for athletes and visitors from all over the world. Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing forms of tourism worldwide, and in Costa Navarino we have created the infrastructure for 12-month tourism with sports and events that attract new audiences”.

Active Media Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akis Tsolis stated: “I am honored after 6 years and almost 8 years since the initial idea of ​​the event to see and live its evolution and change year after year. From the three running routes in Tripoli, Kalamata and Pylos to the nearly 25 sports activities today, with more than 12 Olympic sports in less than 48 hours. The Olympic ideal talks about the union of people, because sports unite. It unites professional with amateur athletes, Olympic athletes with champions, adults with children, who run side by side, people with special skills and abilities. At the same time it does not stop sending moral and educational messages through powerful personalities. Personalities who are legends in their field and don’t need any special recommendations. I would like to announce the addition for 2018 of Panagiotis Giannakis and Michalis Triantafyllidis who will be in our 6th anniversary and will promote the message of sports with the phrase #sportsunitepeople. At the same time, we continue to inform young people with the #eatwell #runwell #livewell as we called our own campaign against childhood obesity. A really big problem for the Greek province, Greece and the world in general. We continue to positively promote messages with the help of both our communication sponsors and our small and grand sponsors, as in the age of Pericles in ancient Athens. Sponsorship has been, since antiquity, a valuable social and cultural institution. An institution that supports sports tourism supports Greek tourism and the Greek economy”.

Afterwards, Professor Dr. Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Vice Rector at Harokopio University in Athens, and a member of the Scientific Committee on Health of the European Commission, said: “In a country where weather conditions and the environment challenge you to do sports, epidemiological research shows that 40% of the population is not exercised not even according to the minimum requirements for maintaining good health, while obesity and overweight reach 50%. In the children’s population, these rates are more worrying. Massive sporting actions for all are imperative and must be supported by all entities in order to treat and promote the health of the population”.

 

At her greeting Bwin Greece Head of Marketing, Zoe Marvofora, said: “We were excited from the very first moment to be the Grand Sponsor of Navarino Challenge 2018 and to actively support this unique effort, which is assisting the fight against childhood obesity through exercise and the Mediterranean diet, while encouraging the participation of citizens in sports activities. We are proud of both the sponsorship we offer and the outstanding sporting performance that the Bwin team is aiming for”.

 

Qatar Airways Country Manager Greece & Cyprus, Theresa Cissell highlighted: “Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves, and for the fourth consecutive year we are proud to be sponsoring Navarino Challenge as the Official Airline partner. Qatar Airways sponsorship strategy is aligned with Qatar Vision 2030 and is based on three core pillars “Sports, Culture and Education” as a means to bring people together, something at the core of our own brand message – Going Places Together. And it seems to be organically embedded with Navarino Challenge, which brings families together through sports”.

Navarino Challenge will cooperare for the first time with HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations serving more than 38 million customers worldwide. As an official banking partner, HSBC will support this year's event and will be the exclusive sponsor of the bike activity (Bike ride at Voidokilia by HSBC).

 

The organization innovates with a new collaboration and presents its new technical t-shirt!

LUANVI, distinguished at the running events, providing technical shirts and high quality sports equipment for more than 40 major events a year (including, for example, the exclusive partnership with the Marathon of Valencia), will cooperate for the first time in Greece with a sports tourism event. In particular, as an official sports supplier of “Navarino Challenge”, LUANVI will offer the special technical t-shirt of the event to all participants. LUANVI, a leading force in the field of sports apparel and accessories in Spain, has many successful collaborations including Spanish National Paralympic Team and the Spanish Tennis Federation.

Present atthe press event were among others, the Olympic and World Champion at 400m. with hurdles Periklis Iakovakis, former international volleyball player who holds the record of participations in the Greek National Team Michalis Triantafyllidis, pilates instructor, Mandy Persaki, personal trainer Dimitris Moros and boxing instructor Christos Gatsis.

Bwin is the Grand Sponsor of the event. Qatar Airways is the official airline partner of the event. Samsung is the official technology partner. Official sponsors of the event are for another year the Natural Mineral Water “Vikos” and Ford Motor Hellas. Luanvi is the official sports supplier of the event for the first time.

Official supporters are Municipality of Pylos-Nestor, Poseidonia, BIC®, BIC® Sport, Avance and the Hippophae of Meteora Hippocrates Farm.  Athens Medical Group is the Medical Partner of the event for the first time.

 

More information about the accommodation packages at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino may be found HERE!

Navarino Challenge is co-organized by Costa Navarino, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and Active Media Group with the support of the Municipalities of Pylos-Nestor and Trifilia. Navarino Challenge will take place under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization, with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation.

Grand Sponsor: Bwin

Official Airline Partner: Qatar Airways

Official Technology Partner: Samsung

Official Sponsors: Natural Mineral Water “Vikos”, Ford Motor Hellas

Official Banking Partner: HSBC

Official Sports Supplier: Luanvi

Official Supporters: Municipality of Pylos-Nestor, Poseidonia, BIC®, BIC® Sport, Avance Rent A Car, Hippocrates Farm

Medical Partner: Athens Medical Group

Partners: Navarino Outdoors, Swim Academy, Surf Salad, Triantafyllidis Beach Arena, FitnessArt, Vizantinos target sport club, Red Swim Academy, Fysiotek Sports Lab

Strategic Partner: National Geographic

Assisted by: Lifeguard Patrol, Navarino Racquet Academy, Pylos Association of Enterprises for Tourism Development, Maritime Athletic Pylos Association “Nestor”, Explore Messinia, Navarino Golf Academy, Target Security, The Diner, Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation, Athens Easy Transfers, Anazoe Spa, Kayak, Collective Resort, Department of Sports Organization & Management from University of Peloponnese, Karalis City Hotel & Spa, Karalis Beach Hotel, Kessaris, Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), IAAF Kids Athletics

Hashtags: #navarinochallenge #costanavarino #sportsunitepeople #eatwell #runwell #livewell

Photo credit: Mike Tsolis

Petit Paris is back for another year and will be running from October 4th to October 14th neighborhoods  of central Athens likeOmonoia square, Larissa Station and Peloponnisos Station, Metaxourgeio, St Paul square and Victoria square.

These are the neighborhoods where many streets are named in French and have served as cultural meeting points between the cosmopolitan and folk culture of Athens with foreign traditions of refugees, travelers and visitors.

Music, art and photo exibitions, street art, theater and varietè, street events and street art, lectures, “tables rondes” and “rendez-vous sociaux”, walking tours, educational programmes and games.

A ten-day parade of art and culture in the city center of Athens, with more than 500 artists, creators and thinkers participating, coming from in and out of Greece. Events are being performed in places that combine Athens urban culture and Greek folk tradition, with foreign influence, coming to us by immigrants, travelers and visitors, such as streets, squares, parks, conservatoires, galleries, music bistro, schools, historic buildings, hotels and other alternative places inside the area surrounded by the Omonoia square, Larissa station, Peloponisos station, Metaksourgio, Agios Pavlos church and Viktoria square, in which many streets have French names.

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Click HERE to view the festival's full schedule! 

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This festival is helping one of the most underrated areas of Athens get filled with culture and art, and is helping young artists to shine. It is co-hosted by Athens Art Network, the Organization of Culture, Sports and Youth of the City of Athens and the Region of Athens. It is under the aid of the Ministry of the Culture and Sports and has the support of the Ambassade de France en Grèce and the Institut Français d'Athènes.

In 2013 the first festival was dedicated to the 100 years since the birth of Albert Camus. In 2014 Petit Paris d'Athènes was dedicated to Βelle Époque as well as the declaration of World War 1. In 2015 the festival's theme was Bistrot and Cafe culture featuring rive gauche and post-war Paris. In 2016 the festival's theme was Team Spirit and Art. In 2017 Petit Paris d'Athènes was dedicated to The Woman in Europe. As for this year,2018, the theme is going to be “May of 68. Fifty years after.”

How the mass revolution of the French May in 1968, without any racial, cultural, ageism or social discriminations affected and is still affecting society and art worldwide?

Art, engaged or not, marked the revolution of May 1968 and still is a movement of timeless value.

This year’s theme is inspired from this historic revolution and the values, the central and side actions of the social battles through the ages.

AA recently announced their new flight service between Athens International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that will officially launch in the summer of 2019.

The flight service will run from May until September on the Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner. There will be 198 seats in the main cabin and 28 in business class, introducing about 67,000 new seats to the travel market.

This new route makes it American Airlines' second connection with Athens. The first operates to Philadelphia, USA.

Article source: Tornos News

FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present a sculpture exhibition by Leto Moustakakis.

Inspired by packing materials such as air-blister packs and plastic sheathing, the artist has created unique works in plaster that transform the everyday quality of objects into pieces that have substance and a power of their own, and narrate stories. The works manifest religious, metaphysical and futuristic references. The title translates loosely to “I saw. Shells. Full”. I saw - because the artist recognized them. Sea shells - they are white as bones and indefinite in age. Full – refers to the process of incarnation (gypsum injection).

Leto Moustakaki was born in Athens where she lives and works. She grew up in Sparta, where she worked with photography and mosaic. She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts, graduating in 2014. She has also attended Tiffany's stained glass courses, stage design courses and has been doing sculpture for four years in the art workshops of Agia Paraskevi. She has recently included sound as part of her visual arts research.

FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in theintimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The apartment has been transformed into an open space that encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris. 

Opening: Wednesday, 10 October 2018, 19.00
Duration: 10 - 27 October, 2018.
Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday 17.00 - 20.00.
Workshop: Wednesday 17 October, 2018, 17.00 - 20.00.

It's time for your monthly dose of Kalo Mina; October has officially arrived! Cooler temps are on their way, along with rain, clouds, and of course, the wintry sunny skies. Let's enjoy this month and explore our fine city of Athens. Here are our picks for the best events this month!

1st Athens Curry Food Festival

The first ever Curry Food festival is taking place at the majestic coastal suburb of Alimos on October 6th and 7th. This festival aims to awaken visitors' taste buds, with exotic flavors from Asia and Africa, giving guests the chance to enjoy different dishes with spices and herbs from around the world.

Athens Craft Beer Expo

 

Held at Zappeion Megaron, the Athens Craft Beer Expo will take place on October 13th and 14th for a beer-filled weekend. Visitors can taste more than 100 craft beers from all over Greece and abroad, including beer from this year's guest star brewery, the Bronckhorster Brewing Company from Holland. Also in attendance will be the Po'Boys Food Truck and a few other vendors to shop while sipping your drink.

Dissolving Localities: An Audiovisual Performance

On October 8th, the Athens School of Fine Arts will be hosting Dissolving Loyalties, an artistic platform that aims to connect cities and art. As their presentation, they will use artistic expression of the daily life of different cities and its inhabitants. Other cities Dissolving Localities has performed include Madrid, Paris, Krakow, and Los Angeles.

Official Opening Of Kypseli's Municipal Market

The first social entrepreneurship, Kypseli Municipal Market, is coming to Athens on October 4th through the 6th. This 3-day festival will have events for both kids and adults, which will be organized by the vendors of the market. The opening will be held on October 4th, of which the Mayor of Athens will be attend.

Photographs Of Joan Leigh Fermor: Artist & Lover

Currently at the Benaki Museum are the photographs of Joan Leigh Fermor, a woman who documented her time in Greece. Joan, with her lover and friend Paddy, visited Athens and then traveled all around Greece before finally settling in the Peloponnese. There, they built a home in Kardamyli and between the 1940's and 1960's, Joan took thousands of photographs of people and places in Greece.

Vegan Life Festival

On October 7th, the Vegan Life Festival returns to Technopolis City of Athens, following last year's success of more than 12,500 visitors! This is the biggest vegan event in Greece, where there will be talks, workshops, a kids zone, and one of the largest exhibitions of cruelty free and vegan products. The Vegan Life Festival is for anyone who wants to learn more about the vegan lifestyle, animal rights, benefits of a vegan diet, and environmental impacts.

Following the huge success of last year's Vegan Life Festival in Athens last July, which welcomed more than 12,500 visitors in one day, Vegan Life Festival returns to Technopolis City of Athens on October 7th for the biggest vegan event ever held in Greece!

The vegan way of life is transforming to a movement that is constantly gaining ground worldwide! The festival will feature talks, workshops, informational material, a kids activities zone, and the largest exhibition of cruelty free and vegan products! Last but not least, we have teamed up with the very best vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants to bring you delicious vegan food!

The Vegan Life Festival 2018 is open to everyone who is interested in learning about the vegan way of life, the animal rights, the protection of the environment and wishes to be informed of the benefits of the vegan diet on their health. All the informational material and presentations will be given by prominent scientists and active members of the vegan community in Greece.

Located in the northern Aegean sea, the small island of Fourni will be the host of the first energy independent community in Greece. This comes after the news that Tilos is implementing an environmentally-friendly network of wind and solar powers.

The Fourni Korseon Municipality's aim with this new act, announced by the island's Mayor Ioannis Mourssis at the Thessaloniki International Fair, is to establish Fourni as a leading source in power self-sufficiency. The municipality will introduce technologies that will help produce, store, and manage renewable energy resources, benefitting the Fourni community.

Participating in this new act, already including the Fourni Korseon Municipality and the EUNICE Energy Group and Laboratories, will mean being both a consumer and producer that will allow for its participants to enjoy power independence and at the same time, reap the economic benefits by utilizing renewable energy resources.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Photo thanks to: Turhan Akman

Greece celebrates "European Heritage Days" on Saturday 29 September and on Sunday 30 September 2018 and during the weekend museums & and archaeological sites will be open to the public with free admission. 

Visitors of the Acropolis Museum will be able to enjoy the permanent exhibition areas and the temporary exhibition “From the forbidden city: imperial apartments of Qianlong”.