Athens to Celebrate World Car-Free Day with Over 20 Events

Photo source: Municipality of Athens

The Municipality of Athens will celebrate World Car-Free Day on Athinas Street for the first time with an open celebration featuring more than 20 events suitable for all ages.

Titled “Car-Free Athinas Street“, the festival invites residents and visitors to experience a car-free city, promoting more sustainable transportation options. For 24 hours, from 8 pm on Saturday, September 21, to 8 pm on Sunday, September 22, Athinas Street will transform into a pedestrian-friendly festival space for all to enjoy.

“For 24 hours, Athinas Street will serve as a ‘case study’, an example demonstrating how a bustling city street can be transformed into a car-free welcoming space for residents and visitors. ” said Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA) CEO Ioannis Georgizas.

A 24-hour program full of special events

Athinas Street. Photo © Thomas Gravanis/ This is Athens-City Festival

The event will feature educational bicycle programs, traffic safety classes, live music performances, midnight movie screenings, and various recreational activities. Bicycles, scooters, and rollerblades will take center stage, with the festival spanning from Ermou to Evripidou streets, just a short walk from Athens City Hall, promoting “green” mobility.

Among the highlights are:

– Rolling on Mitropoleos Street: The biggest wheel parade ever in Athens, Meeting point: Syntagma Square, 8pm to 9.30 pm

– Skate Jam on Athinas Street, 8.30pm to 9.30 pm

– Athinas Street Party by Enteka Athens, 9pm to 11.30 pm

– Midnight Cinema with the Athens International Film Festival Opening Nights: Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders, 1987, 1.45am to 4 am

– Free Rides for Beginner Skaters with instructed supervision, 10pm to 6 pm

– A Guided Tour of Athinas Street by Athens expert Artemis Skoumpourdi (in Greek), Meeting point: Kotzia Square, 10am – 12am

– Traffic Safety Workshop, 11am to 11.45 am, 12pm to 12.45 pm, 1pm to 1.45 pm, 2pm to 2.45 pm, 3pm to 3.45 pm

– Bike Workshop: “How to / Choose accessories”, 1pm to 1.20 pm, 3pm to 3.20 pm

“To achieve climate neutrality in the coming years, Athens must follow the example of other European cities by promoting sustainable mobility, with an essential prerequisite being the improvement of public transportation,” said Athens Mayor Haris Doukas.

The festival is organized by the Municipality of Athens in collaboration with ADDMA. All events are open to the public with free admission.