XpatAthens

Saturday, 08 February 2020 01:24

2nd Athens Fashion Film Festival

A 3-day international gathering where fashion meets cinema 14-16 February 2020 in Athens.

Following its successful premiere last year at Megaron, the Athens Fashion Film Festival returns with its 2nd edition, which will be hosted at the innovative Technopolis industrial museum and more specifically at the recently renovated, 300+ capacity Amphitheater, at the vivid area of Gazi, in the heart of Athens.

A cultural meeting for cinematographers, fashion designers, creative directors, visual artists, advertising agencies, production companies, brands, fashion companies, fashion-model agencies, actors, scriptwriters, journalists, VIPs, celebrities, bloggers, independent, producers, TV channels, schools of art/fashion / audio-visual studies, art curators, artists, collectors, NGO (ethical- sustainable fashion), fashion and cinema enthusiasts.

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Sunday, 09 February 2020 16:29

Valentine's Night At Jazzét Café

A special night with a special duet!

Jazzét Café in Chaidari invites you on Friday, February 14th at 10.30 pm to spend a romantic Valentine's night with your other half while listening to romantic piano tunes by top pianist, teacher, and inspirer of the new generation of jazz musicians, George Contrafouris in a duet with his exquisite artist, exceptional pianist, and singer Dimitris Kokkidou.

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Wednesday, 19 February 2020 22:28

Carnival In Athens

IMPORTANT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT - Carnival celebrations cancelled!!

Kostas Bakoyannis: the City of Athens celebrates Carnival Season with festive and colorful events all over the city!

As we enter the Pre-Lenten season, the City of Athens is transformed into a colorful setting spreading streamers and Carnival fun and joy around the city. For this year’s Carnival season, the Culture, Sports & Youth Organization of the City of Athens (OPANDA) together with Technopolis City of Athens, have co-created a rich program of events starting from February 15th.

The city streets fill with confetti, masks, capes and hats while percussion and bass drums give the rhythm. Harlequins, pierrots and clowns hide near the Acropolis Hill, the city center and all around the neighborhoods with the intention to carry us away with their joyful tunes… All these happenings together with many more will unravel the vibrant maypole of this year’s festivities as the joyful dance of the Athenian carnival begins!

For 17 days, 32 spots around Athens will be hosting more than 60 festive activities with free admission to all. The carnival agenda has it all: concerts, music tours, serenades, performances and parades, revival of traditional Athenian carnival customs, treasure hunt, dancing, satirical songs, tarantella dance sessions, guitars, mandolins, ocarinas and bass drums along with afro-brazilian percussions!

The Carnival events program has also provided for our younger carnival enthusiasts, including plenty of activities for kids and families: educational programs and art workshops invite our little friends to put on their costumes, explore different materials, experiment with the tradition, create and play leisurely. Undoubtedly, an exceptional event among the many children’s activities is the -well established- Carnival Celebrations for Children at Zappeion. On Sunday the 23rd of February, little ones and grown-ups celebrate with music, jugglers, magicians, dancers, stilt walkers, crafts, face painting and much more...

As for Tsiknopempti (Smoked Thursday) the 20th of February, the festivities begin early in the morning in the center of Athens! Celebrations start at 11.00 and continue - where else? – in Varvakios Market with a music program by BabisTsertos performing the most beautiful songs of the Greek repertoire. A bit later, the most distinctive folk carnival celebration with the maypole dancers begins, starting from the “Aggeliki Chatzimihali” Museum of Folk Art and Tradition, and will fascinate whoever meets along its way.

The festivities, as expected, will take off on Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday). On Friday the 28th, Saturday the 29th of February and Sunday the 1st of March, many of our favorite Greek artists will be entertaining us in a series of some very special concerts… under the Acropolis. Having Thissio as our base, we begin for a colorful and multidimensional musical journey having joy and happiness as our destination goal. Our vehicles will be the celebrated festivals of Ikaria and the Cyclades, those of mainland Greece, the memorable folk hits of the golden decades from the 60s to the 90s. We will have the pleasure to see Glykeria and Melina Kana in an unexpected musical collaboration, EleniTsaligopoulou, and Boğaz Musique at a post minor asian palco, Kostas Makedonas, one of the best - not only but mainly - folk singers of his generation, Petroloukas Chalkias, the master of the clarinet, Michalis Rakintzis along with his super band throwing a thrilling party, Nikos Fakaros and the Musicaroi with their Aegean vibes, Wedding Singers for a love “attack” full of stardust and 90s dancing moves and we will remember that “those were the days” along with: Dakis, Lakis Giordanelli, Robert Williams, Yorgos Polychroniadis, Bessy Argyraki, and Katerina Adamantidou.

The peak, however, of the carnival period comes on Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday), the 2nd of March. We meet up at Filopappou Hill to fly our kites and celebrate the “Koulouma” tradition. Headliner of this festive day is GogoTsampa! The singer who managed to revive the audience’s interest for folk music will be there and nothing will stop us from dancing! This year, Athens gets dressed in its most beautiful and fancy jewels and invites us to celebrate Carnival through a colourful mosaic of activities and events, be carried away by the music and experience our city as we’ve never had before…

"Another great opportunity to see Athens dressed in colors and festivities. We have carefully designed a number of Carnival events so that Athenians of all ages as well as our visitors feel that they belong here. It's the Carnival itself which has this familiar, sweet taste of tradition while at the same time is in an open dialogue with the fresh and the new! It's the Carnival itself that's not afraid to have fun, to dress up in the craziest colors and laugh out loud" points out the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis.

Click HERE to view the full schedule of events!

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Saturday, 08 February 2020 13:44

ACS Students Jazz Ensemble

As part of its collaboration with the American Community Schools of Athens, the Music Center Athens invites us on Saturday, February 15th at 22:30 p.m. to their ACS Student Jazz Ensemble at Jazzèt Cafè, the new Athens jazz club under the educational guidance and artistic direction of composer and pianist Rhodell Fields.

The new generation of ACS jazz students and future jazz musicians will present selected compositions from a wide repertoire of the jazz music scene where, with their classical and contemporary music education, combined with the intense dynamism and excitement of their young age, will pleasantly surprise you in this unique musical evening!

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Tuesday, 03 March 2020 18:02

Art Exhibitions At The Phoenix Athens Gallery & Residency

Phoenix Athens is a non-profit art gallery and residency in Athens that provides workshops and opportunities for local and international creatives to develop and showcase their practice in Greece.

ORGUE - PAYSAGE

Opening: February 20th
Duration: February 21st - February 28th

Phoenix Athens is happy to present the music event and exhibition show by Alexis Paul (Saudaá Group).

Alexis Paul (Saudaá Group) and his street organ has lead a nomadic and poetic adventure since 2016. With the aim of creating a transversal experience, Paul draws inspiration from the heart of this instrument and illustrates its music as a ‘tool’ enabling us to discover every aspect of the music’s context.

The intention of his work, which has greater importance than the cultural production itself, is built around the concept of *ORGUE - PAYSAGE. Behind it is a multifaceted project inspired by the cultural heritage of the street organ, which consists of gathering the imagery and inspiration from popular cultures, exploring them, and extracting the most beautiful aspects with a contemporary and collaborative perspective.

For the “ORGUE - PAYSAGE” show, Alexis Paul invites people to discover his musical path, exploring the poetic side of his nomadic project. His practice includes a variety of mediums from soundscapes to photographs and collages. Paul has recently started exploring the links between embroidery and sound alongside the idea of repetition. Using the traditional perforated cardboard and punching on it ancient patterns from the Cyclades, his aims is to play a loop of textiles.

During the opening night, Alexis Paul will be presenting, for the first time a "light" solo set blending audio sample extracted from his street organ to selected analog synthesizers.

THE PERFECT ENDING

Opening: February 20th
Duration February 21st - March 29th

Phoenix Athens presents the solo exhibition The perfect Ending by Leandros Pigades.

The artist, based in New York and Athens invites the viewer to embark on a psycho-geographical detournement of time and space. An experiment in situational awareness and cultural appropriation, the artworks, weave a cinematic narrative encouraging the viewer to question their perceptions and comprehension of the environment as a means to better understand the contemporary world on a local and global level.

The exhibition explores the relationship between the universality of myth and aesthetic-terrorism. Pigades practice, inherently derivative of art history, insists that it is not unique but continues the tradition which simply juxtaposes new and old ways of art-making as a projection of the future. An authentic advocate of the avant-garde post-humorist art movement, which should not be confused with “posthumous” because the artist is not dead yet.

Pigades encourages the capitalistic community to “BUY NOW” and consume his works before its too late. Using the gentrifying anarchist hotbed of Exarchia as a launching point for dialogue and to discuss the many contradictions and blah blah blahs it possesses, the artist hopes to shine new light on post-crisis Athens and the changing urban reality.

XpatAthens is proud to be a Non-Profit Sponsor of the Phoenix Athens Gallery & Residency

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Sunday, 16 February 2020 14:48

Tsiknopempti At Acropolis Museum's Restaurant

On Thursday 20 February 2020, from 8 p.m. until midnight, the Acropolis Museum restaurant on the second floor will celebrate the popular day of “Tsiknopempti”.

Visitors can enjoy delicious typical Tsiknopempti recipes and piano music.

For reservations, please contact the restaurant during Museum opening hours on +30 210 9000915.

View The Restaurant's Special Menu HERE!

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Saturday, 15 February 2020 19:37

3rd PAMEMMAZI Forum At The American College of Greece

On February 22nd, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., the American College of Greece, Pierce Theater, will be hosting PAMEMMAZI’s third forum entitled “Integrative Approaches on Cancer Care: Evidence and Strategies.”

PAMEMMAZI was founded in 2017 for the psychosocial support of oncology patients and their families and to fight stigma through programs of art, programs for health and wellbeing, programs to encourage creativity and share information, through annual forums about integrative care, through participation in awareness-raising races with the team “Untouchables by Pamemmazi” and through publishing stories on our blog www.scarsandscarves.com

The aim of this year’s forum is to highlight the importance of palliative care in the framework of embedded integrative care, the role of complementary therapy programs as well as the research that supports their use. We stress the powerful effect that psychology can have on psychosomatic health, with the therapeutic qualities of music, dance, and of art in general, as well as the importance of expression, communication, and personal strength and resilience in dealing with cancer, resulting in better results and better quality of life.

The forum is directed at health professionals, doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists and the students of those fields, but also to the general public who are interested in approaching cancer in a holistic manner, or who are interested in matters of health generally.

The Program includes an open discussion amongst scientists, health professions and the audience as well as informative/interactive workshops with topics such as the therapeutic approach of music and tango, advice of dentists for good dental health from diagnoses to post-treatment, and the works of two non-profit organizations that also support cancer patients and their families, KEFI and Pnoi Agapis.

The first part of the Forum (10:15-12:30 and 13:00-14:30) will include presentations and round table discussions. The second part (14.30-16:30) will include 5 different workshops to address the variety of interests held by our audience.

In the reception area we have a) Art Exhibition that represents the work done by Eva Grigoriadou, Art Therapist, in the Art Therapy program offered by PAMEMMAZI at the G.O.H.K. hospital “Agioi Anargyroi” b) Therapeutic Photography exhibition, a program offered by PAMEMMAZI in collaboration with Eyes of Light and Dimitra Ermeidou and, c) Drawing exhibition by students from the program SMOKEFREEGREECE of the Institute of Public Health of the American College of Greece.

Participation in the forum and the workshops is free.
Register HERE!

XpatAthens Is Proud To Be A Non-Profit Sponsor To PAMEMMAZI

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Sunday, 23 February 2020 15:33

Big Winter Book Bazaar

The Publishing House “EN PLO EDITIONS” is organizing a big Winter Book Bazaar at Athens War Museum on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th February in support of the Organization «Women Prisoners and Ex-prisoners’ Supporting Network».

EN PLO EDITIONS once again supports the pioneering idea of the "Network" offering 1 euro from the purchase of each book for the implementation of a Mobile Coffee Shop, where 6 women will be employed daily, giving an opportunity for professional reintegration for the women ex-convicts.

Τhe Bazaar which will take place at the Athens War Museum, will offer you the chance to discover hundreds of books, a huge variety of titles for both young and old, for as little as 3 euros.

With the support of the Organization «Women Prisoners and Ex-prisoners’ Supporting Network» a big musical event is being hosted on Friday, February 28 at 7:00 pm at the Amphitheater of the Athens War Museum. A big group of artists, who participated in the programs of the «Women Prisoners and Ex-prisoners’ Supporting Network», in collaboration with Mr. Klimis Pyrounakis, meet in order to travel us on the musical paths of love ... The event will start with the presentation of the work of "Network" by Klimis Pyrounakis.

With every purchase of 10 euros, you get one more book completely free from the promotions section! (At 20 euros 2 books, at 30 euros 3 books and so on).

Dates & Times:

Thursday February 27: 2pm - 10pm

Friday, February 28: 10am - 10pm

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Tuesday, 03 March 2020 23:47

Athens English Comedy Club

The first, and only, purely English comedy club in Greece is a reality!

Is the Athens comedy scene “all Greek” to you? Are you Greek and want to flex your English speaking muscles before the next tourist season? Do you want to try your hand at stand up in English? We are here for YOU!

The Athens English Comedy Club presents local and international comedians right in the heart of Athens.

Our comedy club show is on every first Sunday of the month, with a different lineup each time!

Sunday, March 1st

- Dimitri Doukoglou MCing
- Konstantinos Bouras-Baimakos
- Blink Mike
- Kinthia
- Dimitra Nikitea
- Dimitris Christodoulou!

Sunday, April 5th
Lineup To Be Announced - Book in advance and be surprised!