The Festival of the City of Athens is organizing on Athinas Street a 24-hour celebration full of activities, music, and surprises for residents and visitors, as part of World Car Free Day.
The City of Athens is celebrating World Car Free Day (September 22) with a large open event on Athinas Street. For 24 hours, from the evening of Saturday, September 20, to the evening of Sunday, September 21, the bustling street—from Evripidou to Monastiraki—will be closed to motor vehicles and filled with cultural, educational, entertainment, and creative activities, highlighting the sustainable character of the destination.
The initiative “Athinas Without Cars”, organized for the second year by the City of Athens Festival through Development Athens, gives residents and visitors the chance to see the city center differently: as a meeting place for play, music, and free movement, a space that breathes differently and points the way to a more human and sustainable city. It also positions Athens as a destination for visitors through innovative experiences and the promotion of its cultural wealth.
Deputy Mayor of Urban Revitalization and Resilience, Maro Evangelidou, stated:
“As Deputy Mayor for Sustainable Mobility, I wholeheartedly support this initiative of Development Athens, which responds to today’s needs for more human cities, with fewer disturbances from cars and more green and cultural routes. Athens has every potential to showcase walking and soft mobility by limiting the excessive use of cars and strengthening public transportation. Just as we are working through the ‘Open 15-Minute Neighborhood’ program and new micromobility rules for the revival of our neighborhoods, so too does the initiative ‘Athinas Without Cars’ aim to show that sustainable mobility is possible in our city, as long as we all embrace it.”
CEO of Development Athens, Ioannis Georgizas, added:
“‘Athinas Without Cars’ is both a symbolic and essential reminder that sustainable mobility and quality of life can—and must—go hand in hand. For a full 24 hours, a historic street usually filled with traffic and noise turns into a space of coexistence, creativity, and play for residents and visitors. Through this event, we have the opportunity to experience a different way of living and moving in the city, with respect for the environment and people at the center.”
Check out the full Program here: cityfestival.thisisathens.org
