The Acropolis Museum in Athens is stepping into the holiday season with a rich and imaginative festive program running from December 1, 2025, to January 7, 2026. Families, art lovers, and curious visitors will find the museum transformed into a lively winter cultural hub, filled with workshops inspired by ancient customs, special gallery tours, festive concerts, seasonal dining, and the return of Michael Rakowitz’s monumental Lamassu of Nineveh in the museum gardens.

This year’s children’s program brings myth and creativity together in two interactive workshops designed for young explorers aged six to twelve. In the first, titled “Winged mythical creatures and the new year’s charm,” children embark on a quest through the galleries alongside the museum’s archaeologists. Their mission is to uncover the identity of the Museum’s lucky charm for the New Year by seeking out winged figures in the collection – guardians, messengers, and protectors who pose riddles and offer magical objects. The journey concludes at the Educational Center, where families decorate their own clay charms to take home as festive keepsakes. The workshop takes place on Saturday, December 27 and Sunday, December 28 at 11.00 am, and is held in Greek.

A second hands-on workshop invites children to revive one of Greece’s most ancient New Year traditions: the decorating of the Iresione, an olive-branch ornament symbolizing renewal and good fortune. In “The Iresione and the carols,” children create their own branch decorations, learn about the origins of ancient caroling, and add their handmade ornaments to the Museum’s Iresione in the Kids Corner on the second floor. The workshop is offered on Monday, December 29 and Tuesday, December 30 at 11.00 am and 1.00 pm, also in Greek.

Music on the Museum ground floor

Music fills the ground floor throughout the week of Christmas, creating a festive atmosphere for visitors as they come and go. On Sunday, December 21 at noon, the El Sistema Greece Youth Orchestra – an ensemble of young musicians from 40 countries – performs under the baton of Kyriaki Kountouri, presenting a program that blends classical works, Christmas melodies, and musical messages of peace. Their appearance highlights the orchestra’s mission of inclusion and empowerment through the arts, guided by Artistic Director Zoe Zeniodi.

On Monday, December 22 at 12.30 pm, the Museum welcomes the Cretan “Vrakoforoi” Dance Ensemble for a spirited performance of traditional dances and seasonal carols, led by Giannis Petrakis.

The festive week continues on Saturday, December 27 at noon, when the historic Hellenic Air Force Band, conducted by Flight Lieutenant Konstantinos Drakos, offers a concert of beloved New Year tunes.

Visitors seeking a deeper encounter with the museum’s treasures can join the weekly guided tours held every Saturday at 10.00 am in English and at 1.00 pm in Greek. Led by archaeologists, the tours weave together the stories of the Acropolis, its monuments, and the masterpieces on display, revealing the ancient city’s global significance and the enduring symbolism of the Sacred Rock.

For those with a particular interest in Acropolis architecture, the gallery talk “The Erechtheion: A journey through a remarkable monument” will take place on Sunday, December 28 at 1.00 pm. This Greek-language presentation explores the celebrated temple on the northern side of the Acropolis, known for its innovative form, rich sculptural decoration, and deep connections to Athenian ritual life and myth.

One of the season’s major highlights is the presentation of Michael Rakowitz’s Lamassu of Nineveh, part of the artist’s acclaimed “Michael Rakowitz & Ancient Cultures” trilogy. Made from empty Iraqi date-syrup cans, the 4.3-meter winged bull with a human face recreates the Assyrian guardian deity destroyed by ISIS in 2015 at the Nergal Gate of ancient Nineveh. Installed in the gardens of the Acropolis Museum, it enters into a striking dialogue with the surrounding layers of history – the archaeological excavation beneath the building, the sacred landscape above, and the contemporary life of the city.

To round out the experience, the Museum Restaurant offers festive dinners every Friday and Saturday evening – except December 26 – serving seasonal dishes with a spectacular view of the illuminated Acropolis. Meanwhile, the ground-floor shop showcases a curated selection of holiday gifts inspired by the Museum’s collections. This year’s standout item is the 2026 lucky charm, based on a 6th-century AD mosaic (M2567) from Building Z, discovered beneath the Museum and associated with wealth and abundance in late antiquity.

Click here to discover the Museum’s suggestions for festive gifts.