Athens Open Air Film Festival: free cinema under the stars, every summer

🎞️ Until the next Athens Open Air Film Festival (estimate)

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The screenings take place every summer, from June or July to late August. The programme comes out shortly before the first screening.

Every summer, Athens turns into one big open-air cinema. The Athens Open Air Film Festival puts up screens in the courtyards of grand buildings, archaeological parks and pedestrian streets, even on Dionysiou Areopagitou below the Acropolis, and entry is always free. The festival began in 2011 and hasn't missed a year; 2025 was its 15th edition. In 2026 the screenings ran from 6 July to 26 August. For 2027 we again expect screenings all summer, roughly from 5 July to 25 August (estimate; the programme has not been announced).

At a glance

July–August

In 2026: 6 July – 26 August. In 2025 it started earlier, on 16 June.

0€

Free entry, no booking. Seats are first come, first served.

21:00–21:30

The time most screenings start, as soon as it gets dark.

Since 2011

Every year, with classic films in restored prints and cult favourites.

What it is

The festival is co-organised with the City of Athens culture organisation (OPANDA) and brings summer cinema to places that aren't cinemas: courtyards of historic buildings, archaeological parks, sports grounds and pedestrian streets. The programme mixes classic films in digitally restored prints, thrillers and horror films that became cult classics, and great Hollywood moments. Foreign films are shown, as in every cinema in Greece, with subtitles.

In 2025 the festival opened on 16 June in the Zappeion courtyard with Coppola's «The Conversation» in a restored print, and went on to more than 50 venues until August. In 2026 screenings were held at, among other places, the Plato's Academy park, the Arsakeio Arcade, Drakopoulou Park and Dionysiou Areopagitou.

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The Acropolis lit at night above the trees, from the paved Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street — Dionysiou Areopagitou
The pedestrian street below the Acropolis. There were screenings here in 2026.

The Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street at night with trees and street lamps — The pedestrian street at night
After the screening, the walk to Thissio is one of the loveliest in the city.

The circular courtyard of the Zappeion with Ionic colonnades, a chequered floor and a flower-filled fountain in the middle — The Zappeion courtyard
The festival opened here in 2025.

The circular courtyard of the Zappeion through the columns of the portico — Among the columns
The Zappeion is a 10-minute walk from Syntagma.

The Plato's Academy archaeological park with grass, cypresses and ruins of the gymnasium — Plato's Academy
The park where Plato taught. There were screenings here in both 2025 and 2026.

The Arsakeio Arcade with its glass roof and marble floor — Arsakeio Arcade
The arcade between Panepistimiou and Stadiou streets. A screening venue in 2026.

Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC0), Jebulon, athenswalk (CC0), Wikimedia Commons.

How to get there

The venues change every year, so check the programme for where your screening is. From Ioulianou 50 the usual spots are easy to reach:

Dionysiou Areopagitou: Line 1 to Omonia and Line 2 to Akropoli station, about 20 minutes.
Zappeion: Line 1 to Omonia, Line 2 to Syntagma and a 10-minute walk through the National Garden.
Arsakeio Arcade: Line 1 to Omonia and Line 2 one stop to Panepistimio.
Plato's Academy: about 30 minutes on foot to the west, or 8 minutes by taxi.

Kathy's tip: seats can't be booked, so for popular films come half an hour early. Bring water and mosquito repellent, and if the screening is in a park, a small cushion. Once the programme is out, keep one evening for a screening on Dionysiou Areopagitou: cinema with the Acropolis above you isn't something you see every day.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Athens Open Air Film Festival in 2027?

The programme has not been announced. The festival has taken place every summer since 2011; we expect screenings from early July to late August (estimate).

Do I pay to get in?

No. All screenings are free, with no booking.

What time do the screenings start?

Most start at 21:00 or 21:30, once it's dark.

Do the films have subtitles?

Foreign films are shown in their original language with Greek subtitles, as in all cinemas in Greece. Many of the classics on the programme are in English.