As every September, the city’s largest book festival returns, celebrating its 52nd edition this year. Welcoming city dwellers back from their summer breaks, the festival opens its doors at its traditional home, Pedion Areos park. From Friday, September 6th, to Sunday, September 22nd, literature enthusiasts can explore new and classic books daily, along a variety of cultural offerings.

Organized by the Book Publishers’ Association, this year’s festival brings together 200 publishers, 280 stands, and 200 cultural events, including concerts, theatrical performances, interactive educational activities, and more. The festival is free to attend, and several publishing houses will feature English-language books.

The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 7th, at 8:00 PM, followed by a music concert at 9:15 PM featuring two student bands from the Contemporary Music Department of the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.

In addition to the daily events, discussions, and roundtables hosted by various publishers (check here for the full program), the festival’s musical highlights include:

  • A concert by the Apollonio Music Conservatory, “The Journey of Greek Music,” a tour through the history of Greek music from antiquity to the present day, on Sunday, September 8 at 7pm.
  • A tribute to the “queen” of rebetiko music, Marika Ninou, the Armenian-Greek rebetiko singer, on Tuesday, September 10, at 9pm.
  • A performance by the students of Piraeus Music School on Friday, September 13, at 9:15pm.
  • A concert by the Greek Music Workshop of the Athens Municipality, dedicated to iconic Greek composers (Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis, Stavros Xarchakos, and others), on Tuesday, September 17, at 9pm.
  • A performance by Mexican singer Martha Moreleon and Greek singer Eirini Toumpaki, along with award-winning composer Marios Strofalis, featuring songs from Latin America and traditional Greek café music, on Friday, September 20, at 9:15pm.

The festival’s full program can be found here: 52o-ekdiloseis-kentrikis-skinis.pdf (sekb.gr)

The 52nd Book Festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Athens, and the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is supported by the Attica Region, the Culture, Sports & Youth Organization of the City of Athens (OPANDA), and is organized in collaboration with Petite Paris d’Athenes (Little Paris of Athens), The Network for Children’s Rights, and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.