At a glance
11:00
The school parade on Vasilissis Amalias. It lasts about an hour.
08:00
Syntagma station closes. Trains pass through without stopping until the end of the events.
Free
Entry to the Acropolis, archaeological sites and public museums. The Acropolis Museum too.
Public holiday
Shops and supermarkets closed. Cafés, restaurants and kiosks open.
Where to watch the parades
Every municipality in Attica holds its own school parade on the morning of the 28th. The order here is based on the time from Ioulianou 50. Times and streets are as announced in 2024 and 2025; they apply every year with very few changes.
The school parade at Syntagma
The Athens parade starts at 11:00 and lasts an hour at most. Primary, middle and high school pupils, university students, scouts and guides march past the officials' stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, below Parliament. Each school carries its flag at the front: it is held by the pupil with the best grades, with two escorts beside them. Many schools also have a drum band.
It is a celebration of the schools, not a military display. On the pavements stand mostly parents, grandparents and siblings with their phones in hand, trying to spot their own child go by.
The day's programme
| Time | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Raising of the flag | Acropolis |
| 10:00 | Doxology | Athens Cathedral |
| 10:40 | Laying of wreaths | Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
| 11:00 | School parade | Vasilissis Amalias, Syntagma |
| At sunset | Lowering of the flag | Acropolis |
Closed roads and the metro: from 09:00 until the end of the parade, Vasilissis Amalias, Panepistimiou, Vasilissis Sofias between Vasileos Konstantinou and Panepistimiou, Syngrou and Athanasiou Diakou near the Acropolis are closed. Mitropoleos closes from 06:00 until the end of the doxology. Syntagma station closes from 08:00 and the tram stops at the Fix stop. Traffic reopens around 12:00–12:30.
The school flag is carried by the pupil with the highest grades. Argos, 28 October 2023.
Many high schools have their own band. The pupils rehearse for weeks.
Naxos Town. Even the smallest island holds its own parade.
Naxos, on the waterfront next to the harbour.
Photos: NikosLikomitros and Zde, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to get from Ioulianou 50 to Syntagma
Syntagma station is closed, so get off one stop earlier:
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green): towards Piraeus, one stop to Omonia.
- Line 2 (red): towards Elliniko, one stop to Panepistimio.
- Panepistimio → Syntagma: walk down Panepistimiou to the square, about 700 metres, 9 minutes. Stand on Vasilissis Amalias, opposite Parliament.
On foot the whole way is 2.5 km, about 33 minutes, down Patission and Panepistimiou.
🇬🇷 From Ioulianou 50 to Syntagma
Metro to Panepistimio, because Syntagma station is closed. Tap the Tomb to open the route in Google Maps.
The Piraeus parade
Piraeus holds its own school parade, also at 11:00. In 2024 and 2025 Iroon Polytechniou, Vasileos Georgiou and 34ou Syntagmatos Pezikou, around the Municipal Theatre, were closed from 09:00 to 14:00. It has fewer people than Syntagma and the metro goes there directly: Line 1 to the terminus, no change, then a 13-minute walk to the Municipal Theatre.
⚓ From Ioulianou 50 to the Piraeus parade
Line 1 to the terminus, then about 1 km on foot. Tap the Municipal Theatre to open the route in Google Maps.
Thessaloniki: the big parade
The 28 October military parade takes place in Thessaloniki, on Megalou Alexandrou Avenue, up to the White Tower. It starts at 11:00 with the military units, followed by cultural associations in traditional costume, and ends around 14:00 in front of the President of the Republic. Two days earlier, on 26 October, the city celebrates its patron saint, Saint Demetrius, and its liberation in 1912.
If you are staying in Athens, the parade is broadcast live on television and you can watch it in many neighbourhood cafés.
After the schools come the cultural associations. Here Pontic costumes, 28 October 2016.
Rhodes, 28 October 2011. An association in traditional dress holds a flag several metres long.
Photos: Annatsach (CC BY-SA 4.0), Chrischerf (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.
What Greece remembers on 28 October
In the early hours of 28 October 1940, the Italian ambassador in Athens, Emanuele Grazzi, handed an ultimatum to Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas at his home in Kifissia. Italy demanded free passage for its troops on Greek soil. Metaxas refused, and a few hours later Italian troops crossed the border from Albania. The Greek army pushed them back during the winter. That is why the day is called «Ochi Day», the day of the «No».
This is how Greece entered the Second World War. The Occupation followed from April 1941, and Athens was liberated in October 1944. Greeks honour the day as the memory of a generation that said no to an attack, not as a celebration against any people. Today Greece, Italy and Germany are partners in the European Union, and visitors, wherever they come from, are welcome on the parade pavements.
On the same day the Church celebrates the Protection of the Theotokos. On 27 October schools hold their own celebrations with poems and songs, and on the 28th they are closed.
The raising of the flag at 08:00 opens the day. The flag can be seen from all over the centre.
The changing of the guard takes place every hour, all year round. The parade passes in front of this monument.
Photos: Jebulon (evzones, CC0), Wikimedia Commons.
What is open on 28 October
28 October is a national holiday. Banks, public services, most shops and the big supermarkets are closed. Cafés, restaurants, bakeries and kiosks work, and fill up as soon as the parade ends.
Entry to archaeological sites, monuments and Ministry of Culture museums is free, as is the Acropolis Museum. That brings big crowds. For the Acropolis, go at opening time, before the roads around Syngrou and Athanasiou Diakou close, or after 15:00.
Tip: if the parade doesn't interest you, spend the morning in Pedion tou Areos or at the National Archaeological Museum, which is close to Ioulianou 50 and has free entry that day. The centre reopens from 12:30.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the parade in Athens?
At 11:00, on Vasilissis Amalias in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It lasts about an hour.
Is there a military parade in Athens?
Not on 28 October. In Athens the schools parade. The military parade is held in Thessaloniki. Athens has its military parade on 25 March.
Does the metro run?
Yes, except Syntagma station, which closes from 08:00 until the end of the events. Get off at Panepistimio or Akropoli.
Is the Acropolis open?
Yes, and entry is free, as at all archaeological sites and public museums. Expect more people than usual.
Are the shops open?
Most are not, nor are the big supermarkets. Cafés, restaurants, bakeries, kiosks and mini markets are open.
Can I photograph the parade?
Yes, all the parents do. But don't step into the road or cross while the groups are passing.
What do we say to a Greek that day?
«Chronia polla», as on every holiday.
— Kathy
