Photos: John Kouskoutis, George Dimitrakopoulos, Clarissa Matrisi, Sofia Papastrati
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) Christmas World is enchanting visitors of all ages throughout the festive season, culminating in a big party on New Year’s Eve.
As is now tradition, the SNFCC Agora welcomed the new year with music, light, dancing and thousands of smiles. Singer and actor Jerome Kaluta hosted this dazzling evening, while the night kicked off with the music of Alexandra Sieti and her seven-piece band against the backdrop of the Canal Fountains “dancing” to festive tunes.
New Year's Eve | Highlights Video
New Year's Eve | Event
At the turn of the year, right after the fireworks show, a race that has become a tradition for dozens of runners and many more begun—none other than the SNF RUN: 2026 FIRST RUN from SNF, implemented under the supervision of the non profit Regeneration & Progress. 705 runners participated in the race, following a 3-kilometer course along the illuminated Canal and Esplanade, and finishing at Water Plaza. As in previous years, the race had a charitable character. The amount raised (€8,707) from the symbolic participation fee will support the non-profit organization Spitiko tis Agapis (Home of Love).
But the evening didn't end there! Following the race, Sunshine Pedro went behind the decks for a big open-air party that lasted until the early hours of 2026.
The SNFCC’s festive program was broadcast live on ERT2 SPORT, the SNF’s and SNFCC’s digital channels. After midnight, television viewers were transported to the iconic Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera to enjoy a recorded festive concert by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the distinguished maestro Cornelius Michaelides, featuring works by Dmitri Shostakovich, Edvard Grieg, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The SNFCC Christmas World already came alive on November 29 through a spectacular celebration filled with the swing and jazz sounds of the Loop Quartet and Nina Mazani. At the same time, the evening’s magic was transported across the Atlantic via live broadcast to Lincoln Center in New York as part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Lincoln Center (SNF-LC) Agora Initiative, which promotes the artistic and cultural exchange between Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the SNFCC. The event was also streamed online by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture at UCLA, while the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University helped spread the word to their community.
The SNFCC Christmas World comes to life | Highlights Video
The SNFCC Christmas World comes to life | Event
The SNFCC Christmas World comes to life through support from SNF. All activities and events are free or accessible with low-costs tickets.
Photos: Nikos Karanikolas, Danai Kokkinaki, John Kouskoutis
