December Christmas program at the Acropolis Museum

With imaginative children’s workshops, family backpacks, gallery talks for adults, Christmas tunes, harp melodies in the Parthenon Gallery and more surprises, the Acropolis Museum will welcome its visitors during the month of December.

Children’s workshop “Temples and other buildings made with LEGO^® and inspired by the Acropolis”
Our little friends who visit the Museum during the festive season will have the opportunity to create their own buildings using white LEGO^® bricks and plenty of imagination. Their inspiration will be the temples, columns and capitals of the Acropolis!

Program (held in Greek only):
Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 December: 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.

The workshop is held by the Acropolis Restoration Service Education Team and is designed for kids from 7 to 11 years old. Telephone reservations required on 210 9000900 (Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the pre-purchase of tickets (admission fee: 2 euro). Participation is limited to 30 children per session. Workshop duration: 90 minutes.  

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Christmas tunes

On Sunday 18 December, at 12 noon, the Athens Big Band will present Christmas songs at the Museum ground floor.

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Children’s activity “The trees of the gods”
Using today’s festive plants as a starting point, children and adults can discover the special importance of particular plants in ancient Greece, such as the olive, oak and laurel. They will be exposed to the beautiful foliage and fruits that can be seen in the Museum’s art, in order to create its colourful, festive of trees.

 
Program (held in Greek and in English):
Wednesday 28 December: From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.    

The workshop is held by the Museum Archaeologist-Hosts and is designed for kids from 4 to 12 years old and their parents/escorts. Participation for children is free. A general admission fee is required for parents/escorts. The workshop is taking place at the balcony of the second floor that overlooks the Archaic Gallery.  

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Children’s activity “The ship of the Panathenaic festival inside the Museum”
A boat with an impressive colourful sail used to travel on wheels up to the foot of the Acropolis for the splendid Panathenaic festival. Children and adults will bring the sea to the land of the Museum in a colourful paper mosaic, at the same time discovering the marine world of the art of the Acropolis.

Program (held in Greek and in English):
Thursday 29 December: From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.    

The workshop is held by the Museum Archaeologist-Hosts and is designed for kids from 4 to 12 years old and their parents/escorts. Participation for children is free. A general admission

fee is required for parents/escorts. The workshop is taking place at the balcony of the second floor that overlooks the Archaic Gallery. 

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Children’s activity “Suspended creations in the lit-up Museum”
The ancients used to hang ornaments, sacred and everyday objects, on the walls of buildings and the trees of sanctuaries. Through art and ancient writers, children and adults will come into contact with such objects in the form of clay and metal panels, garlands and wreaths of flowers, ribbons and fabrics, musical instruments and pottery. They will decorate walls and bright trees at the Museum with their own colourful, suspended creations.

Program (held in Greek and in English):
Friday 30 December: From 12 noon to 7 p.m.    

The workshop is held by the Museum Archaeologist-Hosts and is designed for kids from 4 to 12 years old and their parents/escorts. Participation for children is free. A general admission fee is required for parents/escorts. The workshop is taking place at the balcony of the second floor that overlooks the Archaic Gallery.

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Harp melodies in the Parthenon Gallery

From Tuesday 27 December until Friday 30 December, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., visitors will enjoy their walk in the Parthenon Gallery listening to live harp music by Thodoris Matoulas.

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Gallery talks

Gallery talks for visitors will continue during the month of December as follows:

‘Dodona. The oracle of sounds’:
Visitors have the opportunity to travel to Dodona, to the temple of Zeus and to discover ancient divination, together with Museum Archaeologist-Hosts, at the temporary exhibition ‘Dodona. The oracle of sounds’.

Program:
Friday 2, 9, 16 & 23 December, at 1 p.m. in Greek and at 11 a.m. in English
Sunday 4, 11 & 18 December, at 1 p.m. in Greek and at 11 a.m. in English
Saturday 24 & 31 December, at 1 p.m. in Greek

‘A walk through the Museum with the archaeologist’:

Visitors have the opportunity to participate in evening walks through the Museum exhibition galleries, making unanticipated stops and various discussions, together with an Archaeologist-Host.
Program:
Friday 2, 9, 16 & 23 December, at 8 p.m. in Greek and at 6 p.m. in English

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Family backpacks
The Museum invites families to enjoy their visit and learn about the exhibits in a creative way through the specially designed family backpacks available at the Information Desk. Families can borrow the backpack of their choice from the Museum’s Information Desk.

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Lucky charm 2017

The Acropolis Museum’s good luck charm for 2017 is inspired by the masterful waterspout in the form of a lion head from the so called ancient ‘Temple of the Acropolis’ that is dated to the last quarter of the 6th cent. BC. The multicolored head of this regal animal decorated the roof of the Temple and protected the sacred building from every evil.

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