At a glance
15 March 2027
Clean Monday, public holiday. Changes every year with Easter.
Filopappou
The classic spot. Free celebration and Lenten food from 11:00, by metro.
🚗 Car
For the parks and beaches with the best wind, outside the centre.
Lagana
The bread of the day. Bakeries open in the morning; most shops are closed.
Where to buy a kite
In the days before Clean Monday kites appear everywhere: at kiosks, toy shops, stationers, supermarkets and street stalls. There are cheap nylon ones for children and bigger traditional hexagonal ones with a long tail. Buy it by Sunday: on Clean Monday itself most shops are closed, and whatever you find at the stalls on the hills costs more. Get a second spool of string too.
Some municipalities hand out free kites to children: in 2026, for example, Aigaleo at the Baroutadiko grove and Ilioupoli at Chalikaki Park.
How to fly a kite
- Find an open space, away from trees and above all from power lines.
- Stand with your back to the wind. Someone holds the kite 10–20 metres away, with the spool unwound.
- As soon as the wind blows, they let go of the kite and you pull the string with steady movements, taking a few steps back.
- Once it gains height, let out string slowly. If it dives, pull; if it spins around, it needs a longer tail.
- The «bridle», the cords that tie the string to the frame, decides the angle. See in the video how to adjust it.
Flying a kite and setting the bridle
How to tie the bridle and get the kite up · Michalis Vagiakis on YouTube
Where to fly a kite, starting from Ioulianou 50
By metro you only reach Filopappou and the centre. The best spots, with more space and wind, are outside the centre and need a car: buses on the holiday are infrequent and don't go into the parks. If you are thinking of renting, see the guide to renting a car in Athens.
Filopappou: the City of Athens Koulouma
Filopappou Hill is the most traditional kite spot in Athens, with views of the Acropolis and the sea. In 2026 the City of Athens started at 11:00 with the Philharmonic, an island-music celebration followed at 11:30, and free Lenten food was handed out. People go up early and by midday the hill is full. The sky above the hill has lots of kites, so be careful not to tangle the strings.
🪁 From Ioulianou 50 to Filopappou
Line 1 to Omonia, Line 2 to Akropoli and uphill to the hill. The metro runs a holiday timetable.
In the centre without a car
The National Garden and the Zappeion, next to Syntagma, suit small kites and low flights, especially with children. Pedion tou Areos, 6 minutes from Ioulianou 50, has lots of trees and little wind, but also fewer people, for a quiet picnic.
By car: the spots with the best wind
- Freattyda beach, Piraeus: sea breeze, and the most experienced fliers bring the big animal-shaped kites here. In 2026 the City of Piraeus held a celebration at 12:00 with lagana, halva and wine.
- «Antonis Tritsis» Metropolitan Park, Ilion: 120 hectares of lawns and lakes, picnic tables and cafés. Arrive early for a spot near the lake.
- Elliniko: the open spaces of the former American base, popular with families.
- Flisvos Park, Palaio Faliro: greenery and the sea, 6 km from the centre. The car park fills early.
- Tatoi Grove: big clearings, 15 km north, open from morning to sunset. Bring water and food, as there are few shops nearby.
- Veikou Grove, Galatsi: good wind and open spaces, very busy on Clean Monday.
- Hymettus: Profitis Ilias in Ilioupoli and Ai Giannis Park in Kaisariani, among the pines, with celebrations by local associations.
- Syngrou Grove, Marousi, and Army Park, Goudi: clearings in the greenery, for smaller kites.
By car: set off by 10:00. After 11:00 the roads to the parks and beaches fill up and parking gets hard. Clean Monday is also the day with the sparsest public transport, so getting back from the parks by bus can take hours.
The big octopus- and seahorse-shaped kites need a strong sea breeze.
Rock, pines and dozens of kites. Wear shoes with a good grip.
One holds, the other pulls the string: that's how the kite goes up.
Photos: Ellywa (CC BY-SA 4.0), Catlemur (CC BY-SA 4.0), Gepsimos (CC0), Wikimedia Commons.
What Greeks eat on Clean Monday
Clean Monday opens the Lenten fast, so the table has no meat or dairy. Lagana, a flat bread with sesame, is baked only on this day; bakeries open in the morning and there are queues. It comes with taramosalata, olives, pickles, seafood such as octopus and squid, bean soup and, for dessert, halva. Tavernas fill up from midday; book a table in advance.
A flat bread with sesame that bakeries make only on this day.
Clean Monday 2026: laganas on the counter from early morning.
A spread of fish roe, bread or potato and oil. The best-known Lenten flavour.
Made from tahini, the sweet of the fast.
Photos: Andrzej 22 (CC BY-SA 3.0), C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), Robert Kindermann (CC BY-SA 2.5), Aykhan Zayedzadeh (CC BY 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
What is open
Clean Monday is a public holiday. Most shops and banks are closed. Open are bakeries in the morning, kiosks, tavernas and cafés. The metro runs a holiday timetable. For the other Carnival celebrations, Tsiknopempti and the parades, see the guide to Carnival in Athens.
Frequently asked questions
When is Clean Monday?
In 2027 on Monday 15 March 2027. It always falls 48 days before Orthodox Easter.
Where do I buy a kite?
At kiosks, toy shops, stationers, supermarkets and street stalls, in the days before. On the day itself most shops are closed.
Do I need a car?
For Filopappou and the centre, no. For the beaches and big parks, where the wind and space are best, yes.
What is Koulouma?
The open-air Clean Monday celebration: a picnic with Lenten food, music, dancing and kites.
What if there is no wind?
Go higher, onto a hill, or head to a beach. Hills and beaches usually have more wind than the city parks.
Can children come?
Yes, it is a family celebration. Some municipalities give children free kites. Keep them away from power lines and drops on the hills.
— Kathy
